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| Barcelona are close to sealing the transfer of Samuel Umtiti from Lyon. (Picture: Twitter) |
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says that Samuel Umtiti won’t join Barcelona immediately, but that there is an agreement with them regarding his future.
It was reported on Wednesday that the France international, who has yet to make an appearance at Euro 2016, will join the La Liga champions in a €30 million deal.
Aulas has since played down the reports, saying the transfer has yet to be finalised but that Umtiti will not be joining any other team, given the agreement Les Gones struck with Barca.
“We anticipate the eventual departure of Umtiti,” Aulas told RMC Sport. “Samuel has an exclusive agreement for him to join Barcelona.
“Right now, Samuel is with Les Bleus and is focused on the Euros and the fact that he can play Sunday against Iceland. If the three parties agree, it is possible that he will leave us.”
The highly-rated 22-year-old came up through the youth ranks at the French club and made his first-team debut at the age of 17. He has since played 131 Ligue 1 matches for Lyon.
“We made a promise that if he could play for the club of his heart, he would leave,” Aulas added. “It’s part of the commitment which we have made, as was done for Karim Benzema when he went to Real Madrid.”