Cape Town - Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has been tipped to depart the Nou Camp in the off-season, with Manchester United and Manchester City said to be interested.

The Frenchman has endured a difficult season with Ernesto Valverde's side having repeatedly picked up knee injuries throughout.

He returned to action last week in their 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano at the Nou Camp ahead of Sunday evening's clash away at Real Betis.

However, his long-term future at Barcelona is looking in doubt with reports claiming he is willing to be sold by the club's hierarchy due to his inconsistency regarding fitness.

Umtiti joined the club from Lyon in 2016 for a fee of around €25 million and has made 93 appearances but now Manchester City and Manchester United are thought to be keen on his signature.

City are in the market for a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany and United are still struggling defensively, with the 2-1 loss at Wolves in the FA Cup on Saturday showing their vulnerability despite an overall improvement under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Barcelona are also said to be heavily interested in a deal to sign prodigious Dutch talent Matthijs de Ligt and may need to let Umtiti go in order to facilitate a deal to get him from Ajax, in terms of both squad size and FFP regulations.