Manchester United are very, very interested in Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti as a backup to Harry Maguire, according to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness).

It is being reported by the French publication that the Old Trafford giants would be willing to put down a bid just short of the Catalan club's valuation of the France international.

However, Manchester United aren't the only club in the north-west interested in Umtiti, with rivals Manchester City also said to have made an enquiry for the 25-year-old.

The interest in Umtiti comes after a hold up in negotiations with Leicester City for Maguire, which is said to have the player feeling furious.

With the holdup in negotiations with Leicester City, having a contingency plan is beneficial for the club. It seems the former Olympique Lyonnais man forms part of a centre-back target list. Just last week the club were said to have made a bid for Benfica centre-half Ruben Dias, as well as having been linked with moves for West Ham United's Issa Diop and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.

Given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side's poor defensive record last season, reinforcements are a must. However, the Frenchman comes with one big red flag and that is his recent injury history. In the last two seasons, Umtiti has missed 40 games, 28 last season and 12 in the 2017/2018 season.

While Manchester United definitely need reinforcements in defence, Umtiti is ultimately not the man for them. Maguire, Koulibaly, and Dias all have far better injury records and would provide less hassle than the 25-year-old in that sense.

As well as Umtiti's injury record, he doesn't fit the mould of what Solskjaer is seemingly attempting to build at the club: buying homegrown players. Someone like Maguire fits that mould and should be chased instead.

Manchester United fans, would Umtiti be a good alternative to Maguire? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!