5 potential replacements for Samuel Umtiti if he leaves Barcelona

#3 Malang Sarr (OGC Nice)

Basically Umtiti 2.0, Sarr has the look of a future great

Another young French defender, Sarr might just be the player to displace Umtiti at both club and national team level

The left-footed 19-year-old was a colossus at the back for the French Riviera outfit as they surprised everyone by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.

A tough, tackling, great in the air defender who takes no nonsense and is aggressive in his tackling as well as in his marking, the captain of the French U-20 national side plays in almost the exact same way as the man he could be replacing; Umtiti and the transition, if he is signed up, could be seamless.

The Blaugrana have been said to have been keeping an eye on him for a while and may be forced to scale up their interest if another interested party chooses to trigger Umtiti's buyout clause.

Alongside his Nice team, Sarr has struggled a bit for form this season after last season's high but has gradually gotten back into his best form as the season draws closer to an end.

His physicality and willingness to learn would be a perfect foil for Pique's more cultured style.