Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti has put pen to paper on a deal contract that will tie him down to the La Liga giants until 2023.
The France international had been courted by Premier League champions Manchester City and fierce rivals Manchester United, but Umtiti has dealt the pair a blow by extending his stay with the Spanish powerhouse.
“FC Barcelona and Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement to extend the player’s contract for a further five seasons through to 2022-2023,” a statement read on the club’s official website.
“The Frenchman will be putting pen to paper on Monday at 10.00am CET in the Josep Suñol lounge at the Camp Nou. About half an hour later, at around 10.30am CET, he will be speaking to the media in the Ricard Maxenchs pressroom.
“It’s great news for Barça fans. Umtiti, born in Yaoundé, Cameroon in 1993, has been a huge hit since he joined the blaugrana in 2016 from Olympique Lyon – becoming an essential component of the first team defence in his two seasons at the club.
“Umtiti has an omnipotent physical presence, and causes constant headaches for rival forwards. He’s quick, strong in the air and naturally gifted when it comes to playing the ball out of defence on the ground, just the way Barça likes to do things.
“He’s still only 24, but is already considered one of the finest centre backs on the planet – and has also earned himself a regular place in the France starting XI that’s promising big things at the forthcoming World Cup.
“He such a hard-worker and so charismatic that on numerous occasions the Camp Nou faithful have been heard to chant his name.
“His titles at FCB already include one Liga and two Copas del Rey, and now that he’s going to be staying here for another five years, he’s sure to add even more winner’s medals to his ever-expanding collection.”
One of Umtiti’s statistically calculated WhoScored.com strengths is ‘passing’, with his pass success rate (91.2%) the second best of all defenders in La Liga last season.
