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Real Madrid news: Florentino Perez plots raid on Barcelona to make star the new Luis Figo
REAL MADRID are reportedly weighing up a swoop on arch-rivals Barcelona that would see Samuel Umtiti follow in Luis Figo’s footsteps by quitting the Nou Camp for the Bernabeu.
Barcelona celebrates El Clasico win against Real Madrid
Real are currently a distant 14 points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga table having suffered a humbling 3-0 El Clasico defeat last weekend.
And their defence has been twice as leaky as Ernesto Valverde’s side, with 14 goals conceded in 16 Spanish top flight fixtures.
Real boss Zinedine Zidane has Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Marcos Llorente and Jesus Vallejo at his disposal who are all capable of playing centre-back.
The latest report from Spain indicates Florentino Perez is unhappy with how his side are performing though and he wants to strengthen their defence in particular.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants Samuel Umtiti to quit Barcelona for the Bernabeu
According to Spanish publication Diario Gol, Liverpool’s £75m purchase of Virgil van Dijk has highlighted to Real how much defenders now cost.
And that means they’ve turned their attention to a proven player with a fixed price - Barcelona star Umtiti.
The former Lyon man has a £53m (€60m) buyout clause written into the terms of his contract.
Real Madrid transfer target Samuel Umtiti has impressed since joining Barcelona from Lyon in 2016
Real Madrid legend Luis Figo scores phenomenal free kick
And his performances at Barcelona mean he would be a relative bargain in today’s transfer market.
If Umtiti joins Real, he would mirror Figo’s move from Barcelona to their great rivals in 2000.
The Portuguese was not well-received on his returns to the Nou Camp with Real and Umtiti could face the same fate.
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