French international defender Samuel Umtiti, crowned with the World Cup in Russia 2018, and a victim of frequent injuries that affected his performance, will join Italian Lecce on a one-year loan from Barcelona, the two clubs said yesterday.
And the Catalan club published, on its official website, that it had reached with Lecce, newly promoted to the first division this season, an “agreement to loan the defender until June 30, 2023” without the option of buying.
Barcelona wanted Umtiti to leave before the summer transfer window closed on September 1, in order to reduce the maximum salary and to be able to register the latter’s citizen, the newcomer, defender Jules Conde.
The Umtiti loan deal comes after Lecce Club president Sticky Damiani announced on Saturday that he is closely studying the situation of the French international defender seeking to re-launch his career after a season during which he did not set foot in the green rectangle due to his falling into the trap of frequent injuries.
According to Sky Sport Italia and Spanish Radio Lacob, an agreement was reached at the end of last week, specifically stipulating the payment of the player’s salary by the Catalan club.