French international defender Samuel Umtiti has joined Italian Serie A side Lecce on loan from FC Barcelona , the La Liga club has confirmed.
The transfer has been rumored for a little while now but is now officially official.
It’s thought that Barca will pay Samuel Umtiti’s salary but could receive bonuses depending on the number of appearances he makes.
Samuel Umtiti is thought to be keen to head to Italy because he wants to learn about the league as he’s keen to move into coaching after he hangs up his boots.
The defender will become the latest player to leave as part of the summer squad overhaul at the Camp Nou but there could be more exits before the window closes.
Barcablaugranes.com
Samuel Umtiti at Barcelona
The former Lyon center back signed for La Liga side Barcelona for a fee of €25 million on 30 June 2016.
Umtiti made his first appearance for Barcelona in the second leg of the 2016 Supercopa de España on August 17th.
The french player picked up a knee injury in September 2016 while in Barcelona training and it caused him to miss a crucial La Liga clash against Atlético Madrid.
He scored his first goal for the club, on 4 March 2017, against Celta de Vigo with Barcelona winning 5–0 at the Camp Nou.
Umtiti would later play a vital role in the 2016–17 Champions League round of 16 second leg fixture against Paris Saint-Germain. He started the match alongside Gerard Piqué and Javier Mascherano in a 3-man central defence partnership.
The center back assisted his teammates in recovering from a 4–0 first leg deficit to a historic 6–1 victory, the biggest comeback in the history of the Champions League.
He would cap off his first year in Spain by winning the 2016–17 Copa del Rey and by establishing himself firmly as first-choice in central defence for the club alongside Piqué.
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