Barcelona transfer exodus in motion as Newcastle express interest in £17m move for defender

FC Barcelona did not successfully offload a majority of their players for sale last summer, and instead had to sacrifice a number of players that they wanted to keep like Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. The winter window looks to be more promising, with a number of players already attracting interest. Most recently, English side Newcastle United has reportedly expressed interest in Samuel Umtiti.

In a situation in direct contrast to Barcelona, Newcastle United recently enjoyed a massive windfall after being acquired by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. They are currently bottom dwellers in the Premier League, but they are determined to splash the cash in order to strengthen their squad.

As such, Newcastle are scouting around for top quality players who may be looking for more guaranteed minutes. They are desperate to avoid relegation, and are keen on bringing in reinforcements as soon as possible. According to Marca, Umtiti is now a prime target, with the 28-year-old recently only playing a bit part at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona will be happy to free up £220,000 pounds per week in wages, and Newcastle will be pleased to acquire a World Cup winning defender to fortify their squad. The Frenchman has fallen out of favour at the Camp Nou, with Ronald Araujo now the preferred player occupying his position.

Umtiti will not be eager to move to a club that's fighting for relegation, but Newcastle will not be in the bottom for long if they make good use of the fact that they are now the world's richest club.

The Magpies have the money to spend, and if they play their cards right, they can climb up the ranks very quickly. New manager Eddie Howe is also proving to be capable man to handle the club's total reconstruction.

Umtiti does have the option to take a safer route towards the likes of Benfica and AC Milan, but it remains to be seen if he can be tempted by Newcastle. There is a £17 million pound offer reportedly heading Barcelona's way, but they have been proven to be tough negotiators.