Samuel Umtiti has reportedly made peace with the idea of leaving Barcelona to return to Ligue 1 by rejoining former club Lyon this summer.
According to a report by French publication L’Equipe, Barcelona’s hopes of offloading Samuel Umtiti in the summer transfer window have received a shot in the arm. The French defender is ready to depart from Camp Nou, with his preferred destination being former club and Ligue 1 giants Lyon.
Samuel Umtiti joined Barcelona from Lyon in July 2016 amid a lot of hype and excitement surrounding him. The 28-year-old came with a burgeoning reputation of being one of the best young centre-backs in Europe, and he lived up to the billing in his first two seasons at Camp Nou.
But his first bout with a troublesome knee injury started a gradual decline in stature. While Umtiti continued to play at a high level in the initial days after recovering from the early fitness issues, especially until he won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, his performance levels dropped drastically after that.
The French international is a shell of the indomitable centre-back he was a few years ago, and he has unsurprisingly become a peripheral figure at Camp Nou. Umtiti barely featured in the recently-concluded campaign for Barcelona, managing only one appearance, with Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Clement Lenglet and even Oscar Mingueza ahead of him in the pecking order.
Umtiti’s prospects will unlikely improve in the 2022/23 season as the Catalan giants are in the market for multiple centre-backs. Andreas Christensen is reportedly on the verge of joining Barcelona in a Bosman move, and another central defender will likely arrive at Camp Nou before September.
So Umtiti is surplus to requirements at the Catalan club, with Barcelona ready to offload him at the earliest opportunity. And the 28-year-old is finally ready to leave Barcelona, making peace with the idea of departing from the club in the summer transfer window.
The French defender will likely join a club in France or Italy, with his preferred destination being former club Lyon. Les Gones are considering re-signing Umtiti from Barcelona, and a summer reunion seems likely, as the player is finally ready to end his frustrating stint with Barcelona.
