Barcelona will demand a fee of €60m for Samuel Umtiti, who has been attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United during this transfer window.
The 25-year-old has been at the Nou Camp since 2016 but has never established himself as a permanent fixture in the first-team, and made just 14 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona last season.
The centre-back is considered expendable by the Catalonian club, who are looking to raise funds as they aim to splash the cash on Antoine Griezmann and potentially Neymar this summer.
The La Liga champions have already spent over €100m on midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Ajax, goalkeeper Neto from Valencia and Emerson from Atletico-MG, although they have also recouped some of that money by selling the likes of Jasper Cillessen, Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer and Denis Suarez.
Both Arsenal and United are known to be prioritising strengthening their defences during this transfer window.
The Gunners conceded 51 goals in the Premier League last season while United leaked even more with 54.
Arsenal defenders such as Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac bore the brunt of a lot of criticism, while United's team contains a number of ageing players who need replacing.
If Barcelona refuse to budge on their €60m asking price United may find they become favourites for the signature, due to the fact that Arsenal reportedly have a transfer budget of just £45m this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is known to be targeting Leicester's Harry Maguire, however, and if a bid for the England international is successful it could leave the door open for Arsenal to swoop for Umtiti.
He would certainly be a welcome addition to the squad, having played at the very highest level and having been part of the French squad that won the World Cup in 2018 and a Barcelona team that has won two La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys during his time at the club.
