Official: Barcelona loan out Samuel Umtiti
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 25 Aug 2022 10:35 BST
- 3 min read
Breaking
Barcelona have confirmed that Samuel Umtiti has signed on loan for Serie A club Lecce for the season.
Umtiti is one of a number of players Barca have been seeking to get off their books this summer because of his large wage.
Although a member of the France squad that won the World Cup in 2018, the centre-back has been plagued by knee injuries since that tournament and has featured only 50 times in all competitions in the last four seasons. Indeed, last term he played just a single match.
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Barcelona confirmed on their website: "FC Barcelona and Unione Sportiva Lecce of Italian Serie A have reached an agreement on the loan of defender Samuel Umtiti until 30 June 2023. There is no purchase option.
"Lecce won Italy's Serie B last season and are now back playing at the highest level of Italian football.
"Umtiti came to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2016 from Olympique Lyonnais. In six seasons at the club, he has made 133 appearances, including 91 in La Liga and 22 in the Champions League. He has scored two goals, one in the 2016/17 league season and another the season after.
"He has won seven different trophies in the Blaugrana jersey."
The 28-year-old joined Barcelona in 2016 from Lyon for a fee of €25 million. He enjoyed a peak valuation of €44m shortly after winning the World Cup but FootballTransfers now rates him as a €14m player.
Umtiti transfer proven difficult
Moving Umtiti on has proven to be problematic for Barcelona due to the player's high wages and unpredictable fitness record.
It had seemed that he might move back to France earlier this summer, but a deal with Rennes broke down after he failed a fitness test.
At Lecce, Umtiti will have the opportunity to regain his best level in Serie A and will return to Barcelona at the end of the season, with a contract at Camp Nou that runs until 2026.
