“Everything was possible during the transfer window. Lyon is my club and my city. They gave me the opportunity to be seen,” Umtiti told Canal +.
“There were discussions, but it was quick, nothing concrete. I had to be able to speak with a club. I’ll be honest: Barcelona is Barcelona. I don’t want to leave Barcelona and even less like that.
“The last two years have been the most complicated of my career. Sometimes I got really sick of it. I relapsed each time, and with different injuries because I was trying to compensate. It wasn’t a knee problem, it was that I had a total imbalance. I had to start over.
“I stopped eating meat, fish and milk. I feel better, I sleep better. I have never felt so good physically. My body has also changed. I have lost three kilos. I have recovered. I have never worked so hard. And I’m happy about it.”
Umtiti also spoke about Messi’s request to leave Barcelona.
On Messi’s own request to leave Barcelona, Umtiti added: “It has been an eventful summer. For me and the club. It made me feel weird to read this: Leo wanted to leave. He has his reasons. But to imagine Barca without Messi is impossible.”
See More: FC Barcelona Squad 2020: Teams, Salaries, Contracts and Transfers