Samuel Umtiti’s contract will be terminated with immediate effect, according to an agreement the two parties have agreed with Barcelona
Umtiti paid over €25 million to go from Lyon to the club in 2016, but injuries marred his stay in Catalonia. Over the course of seven years, he would make just 133 appearances for the team, with his lone appearance coming in the 2021–2022 season.
Umtiti will now resume his search for a new club after returning from a successful loan stint with Lecce, as Barcelona has officially announced his departure from the team.
“FC Barcelona and defender Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement to release the player from the contract binding him to the club until the end of the 2025/26 season,” said the statement. “FC Barcelona would like to express its gratitude to Umtiti and bestow upon him good fortune and future success.”
Umtiti, a high-earning player at Camp Nou, was unexpectedly tied down to a long-term deal early last year that committed him to Barcelona until 2026. His original contract was set to end in 2023. Later, it became clear that Umtiti had consented to the extension in order to ease Barcelona’s financial difficulties, agreeing to have the first 18 months of his salary spread out over almost four years.
Following the signing of his agreement, the French defender would never actually play for the team, missing the majority of the 2021–2022 season due to a toe injury before spending last season on loan in Italy with Lecce to demonstrate his fitness. The most Umtiti has made since the 2017–18 season was 25 appearances for Lecce last season.
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