Barcelona have confirmed the termination of Samuel Umtiti's contract at Camp Nou, with the decision being mutually agreed by both parties.
The 29-year-old joined the Catalan club from Lyon in the summer of 2016 and went on to play 134 games, scoring two goals during that time.
Umtiti helped the club to two La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey trophies during his seven-year spell in Barcelona, although he found himself out of favour near the end of that period.
A loan move to Lecce was sanctioned for the 2018 World Cup winner last season, with the defender making 25 appearances for the Serie A outfit as they endured a tough campaign.
Marco Baroni's men were fighting off relegation for the entirety of the 2022-23 term but did manage to eventually avoid the drop, finishing in 16th, five points ahead of 18th-placed Hellas Verona.
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Despite an ultimately successful spell in Italy, Umtiti was unable to do enough to tempt Barcelona to reintroduce him into Xavi's first-team plans next season.
"FC Barcelona and the player Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement for the release of the contract that the player had with the club until the end of the 2025-26 season," the club's statement read, published on Friday.
"FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to Umtiti and wishes him luck and success in the future."
The Frenchman's deal at Camp Nou was set to expire in the summer of 2026, however the club proposed a mutual termination of the contract, which the player himself agreed to.
The departure of the centre-back will take some pressure off the Catalan club's financial situation, although it is understood that Xavi's men are still looking to offload more high earners before the transfer window slams shut.
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Sergino Dest and Clement Lenglet are a pair of defensive options which Barca are hoping can find new clubs in this summer's window, with the latter spending last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Club legend Sergio Busquets has already made the move to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in MLS, ending the 34-year-old's trophy-laden career in the colours of Barcelona.
Umtiti will now search for his new club in hopes of earning a place in France's Euro 2024 squad next year, although the defender could be face a huge task in doing so, considering he has not featured for Les Bleus since September 2019.
Carter White
