Umtiti 'FAILS medical at Rennes' as Barcelona exit falls through

ARSENAL target Samuel Umtiti has reportedly FAILED his medical at Rennes as an exit from Barcelona continues to evade him.

The 28-year-old Frenchman has been told by Barca boss Xavi that he does not feature in his plans at the Nou Camp.

And he appeared set to secure a loan move to Ligue 1 side Rennes for the 2022/23 campaign.

But, as reported by TV3 via Mundo Deportivo, the deal has now fallen through as Umtiti failed to pass his medical.

It is a major blow to the centre-back - who was offered to Arsenal earlier this summer.

However, he could still depart the Catalan giants despite his contract running until 2026.

The new report states that Barcelona may choose to terminate his contract if they do not receive a suitable bid.

That is because he is surplus to requirements following the arrival of Andreas Christensen.

Spanish centre-half Cesar Azpilicueta is also being linked with a move to the LaLiga side.

However, Barca are currently struggling to register new players Christensen and Franck Kessie due to their critical financial situation.

The European giants are in huge amounts of debt and keen to offload any deadwood within the squad.

As a result, they want to move Umtiti on despite the fact that he only signed a reduced contract last summer.

He agreed to slash his own wages in order to enable new signing Ferran Torres to register with the club after leaving Manchester City in a £50million deal.