When Samuel Umtiti made his way to Spain in 2016, there outlook in Barcelona was completely different. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar were still at the club, the club’s finances looked fine, and the Frenchman was about to hit his prime.
However, things would neverturn out as expected between Umtiti and the Catalans. Even though he did get off to a decent start at Camp Nou, injuries would eventually catch up with the center-back after he signed a lucrative contract extension until2023.
Umtiti ended up spending more time on the sidelines than on the field and his salary became a burden for Barca, who have been desperate to find him a new home. However, as much as the club wants him gone, it has decided to extend his deal to 2026 instead.
Here’s why Samuel Umtiti signed a new Barcelona contract
While Barcelona struggle to find suitors for the French center-back, they needed to immediately reduce the wage bill.The ideal scenario for Barca would have been to sell him to another club or, at least, let him leave on loan.
But as none of those options seemed possible, they found another way to lessen the impact his salary has on their budget. By extending Umtiti’s contract to 2026 without a raise, Barcelona are able to spread out how much he receives each season, freeingup space in their salary cap this year.
That has enabled the Cules to register Ferran Torres, who has recently made the move to Camp Nou from Manchester City. So, now Umtiti is tied to Barca for another four years and a half but it looked like the best possible solution to register their latest signing fast. This probably won’t change Umtiti’s role, though, as Barcelona would still try to move on him this month or in the summer.