Xavi Hernandez made a great impact in his return to Barcelona. When he took over in November last year, the team was struggling to get results in La Liga, but with the new coach, it got back on track. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done.
While Barca managed to secure a top-four finish, and therefore, seal a place in theUEFA Champions League again, the club wants to restore its high standards by winning a trophy next season. The problem is the financial situation continues to be delicate.
That’s what preventing Barca from securing the signing of Robert Lewandowski or Bernardo Silva, for instance. But it seems that the Cules could find a solution this summer by offloading one of the most expensive contracts in the roster.
Report: Barcelona to part ways with Samuel Umtiti this summer
According to Sport, Barcelona will finally part ways with Samuel Umtiti this offseason. The French defender joined the club in the summer of 2016 for $27.50 million after making an impression with Olympique Lyon.
But his stint at Camp Nou turned out to be a huge disappointment. Umtiti never performed as expected and spent a long time on the sidelines due to injury, which is why Barca have been trying to get rid of him for so long.
His massive contract has been a stumbling block in the club’s attempts to find him a new home. While Barcelona couldn’t afford the termination of his deal, no other club was willing to pay what Umtiti was making. Fortunately, the club would solve this situation once and for all this time.
The report claims that Barcelona will let Umtiti leave whether it’s by sending him on loan elsewhere or by rescinding his deal. Umtiti accepted a contract extension earlier this year to help the club spread his salary in different years. Consequently, it wouldn’t be as hard as before to release him.
Umtiti reportedly has twosuitors in the Ligue 1. One option for the center-back would be to go back to Olympique Lyon on loan, while Nice would also be interested in his services but only if he arrives as a free agent.