Out-of-favour Barcelona defender still owed €52 million in contract payments

Barcelona have been striving hard to get rid of the players who do not belong in manager Xavi Hernandez’s plans as they hope to wrap up the exits and register Jules Kounde at the earliest possible.

One such player who is being shown the exit doors at the club is Samuel Umtiti. The 28-year-old Frenchman has been out of favour at Camp Nou for well over a year now and has been told to find a new club for himself, after playing just once last season.

A move to Serie A side Lecce is being speculated in the media, with the Serie A minnows reportedly planning to sign Umtiti on loan for the remainder of the season.

However, according to Ruben Uria on GOAL, a move to Italy could be difficult to finalise, as Lecce still have serious doubts over Umtiti’s knee injury, while his wages will also be a major issue for the Italian outfit.

There have been talks about Barcelona bearing his entire salary even if he joins Lecce, which would hardly serve the club’s purpose as their main aim is to free up space on the wage bill in order to achieve ‘Financial Fair Play’ and register Kounde and any other potential new signings.

According to the report, Umtiti is owed a massive €52 million by Barcelona as per the terms of his current contract with the club.

The Frenchman’s previous contract ran until 2023, but the Catalans handed him a downward renewal in January earlier this year, extending it until 2026 in order to register Ferran Torres during the winter window.

At the time of the renewal, Umtiti was owed €57 million over 18 months. Following the extension, Barça reduced his payment to €52 million spread until 2026. Of the €52 million, €40 million is said to be in fixed payments, with the remaining €12 million being variables.

Getting rid of him would ease a major financial burden for Barcelona. There has been interest from Rennes, Lyon and Nice, but nothing came of that so far. And a move to Lecce also looks doubtful at this point, as per the report, with his exit being seen as an almost impossible mission.