World Cup winner compares Barcelona to ‘PRISON’ to force Serie A move

Robin Bairner

• 26 May 2023 09:51 BST
• 2 min read

Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti says that the time he has spent at the club has been like being “in prison”.

Umtiti joined Barca in 2016 for €25 million from Lyon but after helping France to the World Cup two years later, he aggravated an injury, which has prevented him playing a full part for the Camp Nou side.

In the past four seasons, he has made just 41 league appearances for the Blaugrana, albeit he has spent this campaign on loan in Serie A with Lecce, helping them achieve the best defensive record in the bottom eight of the Italian top flight.

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What did Samuel Umtiti say about Barcelona?

Umtiti is not missing Barcelona, where he remains under contract until 2026.

“The only thing I wanted was to feel appreciated, useful, respected. I spent four years in Catalonia in prison, not just in terms of sport but also in everyday life,” he claimed in comments relayed by Marca.

“At first, after my move to Spain, I felt appreciated and played at a great level. But then I started to feel suspicious, I realised that nobody believed in me. In Salento I found my smile again and I'm grateful I like the language, the food, the fashion...”

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The prospect of Umtiti moving back to Barcelona is a scant one, particularly after these explosive words.

Instead, reports suggest that the France international defender is poised to complete a move to Lecce on a full-time basis for just €4m.

Barcelona are set to make a staggering loss on the player, not just on their initial outlay, but also in terms of what he is worth.

According to FootballTransfers’ model, Umtiti has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €11.7 million – making a potential €4m fee an absolute bargain for the Serie A strugglers.