Samuel Umtiti now seems a gone case. The once regarded as a beast defender is now nothing but a financial burden for the club. For a long time, Barcelona has been trying to get rid of him. The defender was deemed to be the heir to Barcelona’s defense but injuries were a big thorn in the way. This recalls the 2018 WC where Umtiti was crucial to France lifting the trophy under Deschamps. But playing with a knee injury hindered his career at Barcelona massively.
Sooner or later, it was realized that Umtiti is nothing but just a wage earner at the club. The 28-year-old fell out of favor at Barcelona and was told to find a new club immediately. But the Frenchman was adamant to stay at the club and was not willing to relocate. But now it finally seems that Umtiti will be gone for the season. Serie A side Leece has come in with a loan offer for Samuel for 1 year. Barcelona has agreed to all demands of Leece which includes paying his full salary.
But Leece is said to have serious doubts over signing him, given his knee injury concerns. In that case, Barcelona will have serious problems registering Jules Kounde and other potential signings. The new signing has missed out on the first 2 games for Barcelona with the number of maximum players already registered. Barcelona is still working on the departure of players like Depay, Aubameyang, Umtiti, and Dest. This will allow registration of Kounde and possible new signings easy.
Barcelona owes massive money to Umtiti
As per reports, Barcelona owes Samuel Umtiti a massive €52 million according to his current contract with the club. His contract was over in 2023 but Barcelona renewed it until 2026 under fresh terms to register Ferran Torres in January. Barcelona owed him €57 million before the extension. After extension, these wages were spread until 2026. Of the €52 million, €40 million are fixed, and the remaining €12 million are variables.
So getting rid of Umtiti is something the club is looking to do as soon as possible. But Umtiti has not agreed on terms with any other club. Leece, Lyon, and Nice were all interested in signing him but failed to. Barcelona even considered terminating Umtiti’s contract but the deferred wages are too much to do anything.
Follow our Twitter for regular football news and updates.
