Barcelona have confirmed the and agreement has been reached with defender Samuel Umtiti from the 22-year-old defender had been linked with the club for the past few weeks and his move was nearing completion.
Now the president of the club Josep Bartomeu announced on Barcelona’s twitter account stating the two clubs have reached an agreement over his sale. The Catalans were in search of a defender since the end of last season.
With the departure of Dani Alves to Juventus and there was a requirement for the club to improve their defensive stability. Bartomeu also announced that Claudio Bravo, Ter Stegen and Javier Mascherano will not leave the club.
Umtiti made 131 appearances with Lyon and is rated as one of the best upcoming youngsters in Europe. Last season he was a constant presence at the back for Lyon as they managed to finish second only behind Paris Saint-Germain in the league.
The fee according to the president is €25 million. Umtiti is expected to replace Adil Rami for the game against Iceland after the latter was suspended for the game against Iceland after picking up a second yellow card against Ireland in the round of 16.
Barcelona are also eyeing Hector Bellerin as a replacement for Dani Alves but Arsenal are adamant to sell. Bellerin was included for the Euros squad after his blistering season with the Gunners.
He is also a La Masia product which makes it even more of an attractive prospect for Barcelona. The right-back has stated he will not leave the club this season but that could very well change after he spent some time with the national team some of whom play for the Catalans.
