Liverpool Virgil van Dijk deal scares Barcelona as Manchester clubs circle Samuel Umtiti

Southampton and the Reds have agreed on £75m for Van Dijk, smashing the record fee for a defender which was set by Manchester City in the summer.

Pep Guardiola’s side bought Kyle Walker for £54m but Liverpool have surpassed that following a longstanding interest in the Dutchman.

City were interested in Van Dijk and reports had suggested that they were willing to pay £70m before Jurgen Klopp blew them out of the water.

But the ripple effect of the transfer has hit Barcelona, who are seriously worried about losing French defender Umtiti, according to Don Balon.

Following his £21m move from Lyon in 2016, Umtiti has become a regular for the La Liga giants, making 62 appearances.

But with both Manchester clubs tracking the centre-back, there are genuine fears from the Catalan club that he could be making his way to the Premier League soon.

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde is reportedly keen on offering Umtiti a new contract to ward off interest and increase his release clause.

His current deal allows him to leave the club for £50m, a fee both Manchester United and City could afford.

Jose Mourinho wants United to spend big this winter and summer to replace the ageing members of his squad.

His defensive woes are made worse by the fact that Eric Bailly is out for three months after undergoing ankle surgery whilst Victor Lindelof has failed to live up to his price-tag.

Guardiola has suggested that they will use the January window to secure a new defender, with Jonny Evans and Inigo Martinez other names on his shortlist.

Eliaquim Mangala is not fancied by the ex-Bayern coach and Vincent Kompany limped off ten minutes into the Newcastle game.

One solace for Barcelona is the fact that if Umtiti does leave, he will be cup-tied for Champions League matches, which could put off the Manchester clubs.