Samuel Umtiti will travel to Italy today to complete his transfer to Serie A side Lecce according to Fabrizio Romano. The Barcelona centre-back will spend the rest of the season in Italy but the Catalan club will still pay his wages – they’ll receive add-ons based on how many games the Frenchman plays for Lecce.
Umtiti has endured a tough few years. He first joined Barcelona from Lyon in the summer of 2016 and his initial two seasons at Camp Nou were amazing – he looked and played like one of the finest centre-backs in European football. He helped France win the 2018 World Cup in Russia but came back and suffered an injury that’s severely limited his minutes ever since.
Umtiti was never going to earn game-time at Barcelona this season – Xavi Hernandez has Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia in his position. Going on loan is a chance for him to prove he can still compete in the elite and hopefully secure a permanent transfer in 2023.
Samuel Umtiti will travel to Italy later today in order to join Serie A side Lecce on loan move from Barcelona. Full agreement reached, documents exchanged on Wed night and medical scheduled today. 🇫🇷🤝 #transfers
Barça will receive add-ons based on how many games he'll play. pic.twitter.com/0P83w85UXG
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 25, 2022
