Report: Injury-prone Barcelona defender has agreed to go out on loan

While Barcelona have brought in an abundance of new faces, what now remains is offloading various players who are “surplus-to-requirements”. Amongst them is Samuel Umtiti, the central defender who finds himself on the edges of the squad.

According to Catalunya Radio, Umtiti is now open to a move away from the Camp Nou. In fact, there is also interest from various clubs in Ligue One, who would want the World Cup winner on loan.

Umtiti was previously reported to have wanted to stay put at Barcelona, despite the insistence of otherwise from Joan Laporta and his team, so this change of heart is notable.

Arriving at Barcelona in 2016, Umtiti’s career got off to a blistering start, giving many Culés hope that he could anchor the defence for years to come. Unfortunately, injuries have since gotten the best of him. His last campaign was particularly tough, albeit there were some positive takeaways.

The report also highlights the situations of Sergi Roberto, Junior Firpo, and Jordi Alba. Roberto’s future remains clouded in mystery; Firpo could be on his way to Leeds in the Premier League; and Alba is gathering particular interest from Inter Milan, albeit the left-back does not want to leave.

Umtiti has been haunted by poor form and injuries ever since he won the World Cup with Les Bleus back in 2018. The landscape at Barcelona has changed a lot since then, and the club cannot afford to keep him without a return on investment anymore.

The centre-back commands a fairly heavy wage and Barcelona need to trim down expenditures as much as possible to dig themselves out of a massive financial crisis. At the same time, the wage bill needs to be reduced, considering that Lionel Messi’s contract renewal is imminent.