Barcelona Transfer News: Samuel Umtiti Deal Confirmed by Josep Maria Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed the club have agreed a fee of €25 million (£20.69 million) with Olympique Lyonnais for Samuel Umtiti.

As football journalist Sam Marsden reported, Bartomeu added they’ve yet to agree terms with the player:

Umtiti is part of the France squad seeking to win the UEFA European Championship, and the 22-year-old centre-back has impressed since coming through the youth academy at Lyon.

Bleacher Report UK posted the following as news of a possible transfer gathered pace:

The centre of the defence is an area of the squad Barcelona have needed to bolster for a while. Following the departure of Marc Bartra to Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, the youngest centre-back option on their books is the 29-year-old Gerard Pique.

Javier Mascherano remains his primary partner, and the duo continue to excel as an axis. But there are questions about the merits of deputies Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen. A more dynamic, youthful presence at the back was needed, and Umtiti is a player who seems to fit the bill:

Having initially broken into the Lyon side as a left-back in 2011-12, the Frenchman has cemented his position at the heart of the team’s defence in recent seasons. Last year, he was one of the standout defenders in Ligue 1, sniffing out danger brilliantly, tracking forward runs and showing his strength in the air too.

What makes him especially suited for the Camp Nou outfit, though, is his composure on the ball. Umtiti averaged an impressive 87.2 per cent passing accuracy for Lyon in 2015-16, and when he’s in possession, the youngster rarely panics. It’s an area of his game that will only improve further working at Barcelona every day.

FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/Getty Images

Umtiti seems to have the balance right between when to play and when to defend as well. As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, he’s more than happy to get the ball out of danger when required:

While he will have a great affinity with Lyon, Umtiti looks ready to make the next step at a club such as Barcelona. His shift from left-back to centre-back has been accompanied by a growing maturity, and in picking him as part of the France squad for the Euros, it’s clear manager Didier Deschamps feels as though he’s capable of thriving at the highest level.

He does have work to do in some areas of his game, especially in terms of concentration and positioning. The former is something that sets Barcelona defenders aside, as the team has the ball in the attacking portion of the pitch for such prolonged spells.

Still, his aggression and power at the base of the team typically creates a stern foundation that allows attackers to thrive. That was certainly the case at Lyon, per Squawka Football:

"

Lyon failed to win all SIX of the Ligue 1 games Samuel Umtiti missed through injury in November & December.

LLDLLL https://t.co/yPHtccMSPT

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 30, 2016"

Barcelona will want to get the deal finalised as soon as possible. For any player, making the move to the Camp Nou is a daunting prospect, and manager Luis Enrique will likely want to give Umtiti as long as possible to acclimatise to his new surroundings. With Bartomeu announcing a fee has been agreed, the transfer surely isn’t too far off being done.

After being called up by Deschamps and courted by Barcelona, it’s been some season for Umtiti, who deserves the plaudits coming his way. In Catalonia, he’ll face a big battle to get into the team on a regular basis, but it’s one he seems primed for.