Samuel Umtiti to stay at Barcelona after all?
Samuel Umtiti is a French professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Barcelona in La Liga and for the France national team.
Umtiti made his professional debut in 2012 with Lyon, winning the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions in his first season. Prior to a €25 million transfer to La Liga club Barcelona in 2016, he played in 170 games and scored three goals. In his debut season in Spain, he won the Copa del Rey, followed by a double (La Liga and Copa del Rey) the following season.
For a long time, Samuel Umtiti has been linked with a move away from Barcelona, with rumors claiming the Catalans were eager to rip up his contract.
However, recent reports claim that Umtiti may end up staying at Barcelona after all since offloading the center-back is proving too difficult for the club.
According to Diario Sport, Barcelona is "no longer ruling out" the idea of Umtiti staying at the Camp Nou as Ronald Koeman's fifth center-back in 2021-22.
There have been no takers for the World Cup winner, and Barca believe he can stay “due to the potential legal issues that may develop if the player's contract is terminated.”
According to the source, Umtiti does not want to go and will only join a club that can guarantee him Champions League football next season.
According to a similar post in Marca, Umtiti isn't going anywhere and will "most likely" stay at Barcelona for at least another season.
According to Marca's report, Barca has made "many approaches" to Umtiti, but he is uninterested and "believes that he can be beneficial" to the club.
The Catalans have pondered cancelling his contract, but believe it is "legally untenable" because of the "severe ramifications" for the club.
If he stays, however, Barca will try to persuade Umtiti to lower his pay. Umtiti presently makes "between 8 and 9 million net per season," according to Marca.
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