Official: Barcelona have terminated Samuel Umtiti’s contract

Barcelona have confirmed the first major departure of the summer as they have officially announced that they have reached an agreement with Samuel Umtiti to terminate his contract.

The Frenchman joined Barça from Olympique Lyon from 2016 and enjoyed a fine run in the early parts of his tenure in Spain. However, injuries hampered his progress and soon he fell down the pecking order at the club.

After a couple of seasons where he hardly stepped on the pitch, Umtiti left Barcelona last summer, joining Lecce on loan, where he had a solid campaign while staying injury-free.

With the loan spell getting over, the Catalan giants were facing a dilemma about his future as he was set to return to the club, given that his contract ran until 2026.

As such, Barcelona had proposed Umtiti a mutual termination of contract, which the defender has now accepted.

“FC Barcelona and the player Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement for the release of the contract that the player had with the Club until the end of the 2025/26 season,” the club’s statement read.

“FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to Umtiti and wishes him luck and success in the future.”

Umtiti leaves Barcelona having made 133 appearances, winning two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey trophies and two Spanish Super Cups.

His exit will lighten Barça’s wage bill for next season by €20 million, which is a big boost given the Financial Fair Play situation.