3 Real Madrid superstars set for explosive exits, €72 million Barcelona superstar wants to join Real Madrid and more: Transfer Roundup, 20 May 2019

Samuel Umtiti tells Karim Benzema he wants to join Real Madrid

Samuel Umtiti was sitting firm in Barcelona's line up until a while ago. Now, his future is anything but secured. As per reports, the Frenchman who won the World Cup last summer has been pained by the treatment meted out to him and the lack of support in the dressing room and has revealed to his mates that he wants to jump ship and join Real Madrid.

With Raphael Varane expected to be shipped out of the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, Real Madrid will be looking to strengthen in the centre-back area. Umtiti feels hard done by the fact that Messi did not stand up for him despite the Frenchman believing they shared a close friendship.

Umtiti is valued at €72 million and will have no trouble finding suitors if the report is to be believed.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad