Barcelona have been trying to work out a way of offloading Samuel Umtiti for some time. In January, they took drastic measures, renewing his contract until 2026 in order to spread out his salary and have a lesser impact on the club’s finances this year.
The Catalans owe him some gratitude – without his willingness to restructure, they wouldn’t have been able some of their winter signings, such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It appears the frustration with his situation has reached even Umtiti though. Starved of football, Umtiti had previously maintained an iron-clad desire to stick it out at Barcelona, but according to Mundo Deportivo, the French defender is willing to make an effort to leave.
The two teams that have expressed some interest in Umtiti, that are of interest to him, are Nice and Lyon. The likelihood is Umtiti would leave on loan and would have to reduce his salary even further.
Whether this comes to fruition, only time will tell. Recent years of Umtiti’s career have been defined by reported false dawns: fitness improvements, form on the pitch and in terms of desire to leave the club.
