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What is the story?
FC Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has insisted that he wants to stay at the club next season.
In case you didn't know...
Umtiti has been linked with leaving Barcelona this summer, owing to the potential arrival of Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt.
The French World Cup winner, who struggled with injuries last season, lost his place in the squad, with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet becoming Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde's preferred centre-back pairing.
Umtiti made just 14 La Liga appearances in the 2018-19 season, winning 62.5 per cent tackles on an average and having an impressive passing accuracy of 95 per cent.
Italian champions Juventus have been credited with showing interest in the 25-year-old centre-back, who might further drop down the pecking order at the Camp Nou if Barcelona manage to sign De Ligt.
The heart of the matter
Despite all the transfer chatter surrounding him, Umtiti stated that he is happy at Barcelona and wants to continue his professional career with the Catalan giants.
"I have a contract and I am happy at Barcelona.
"It's true that it has been a complicated season for me but I'm not going to throw in the towel now and I won't give up on my dreams to keep playing for Barcelona."
Umtiti signed a €6 million per year contact with Barcelona last summer which runs until 2023. He joined the Spanish champions from Lyon in 2016 and has thus far made 98 appearances in all competitions for the Camp Nou outfit.
What's next?
Barcelona are one of the favourites to land De Ligt this summer, with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus also monitoring the Ajax teenager. However, Barcelona might have to sell one of their defenders to make room for De Ligt.
