Getty Umtiti warms up with the Barcelona squad at Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has bit back at fresh speculation the club is keen to offload the World Cup winner when the transfer window reopens in January.
Umtiti has been heavily linked with a Camp Nou exit for some time after falling down the pecking order and has not managed a single minute of action in 2021-22 under coach Ronald Koeman.
However, the Frenchman has not been impressed with fresh rumors he could be heading for the exit door in the winter. Umtiti hit back at the speculation with an angry post on Instagram, as shown by Reshad Rahman.
Barcelona are said to be “pushing” for Umtiti to leave in January and “are clear” he “will not get chances this season,” according to Diario Sport. The Catalans are hoping for a permanent deal but “know it will be difficult” to find a buyer for a player who has struggled for regular game time in recent seasons.
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Umtiti Convinced Laporta To Let Him Stay
Umtiti had been expected to leave in the summer but ended up staying after convincing president Joan Laporta in an emotional meeting. Umtiti burst into tears as he explained how the club’s medical staff had failed to treat an injury properly, as reported by Marca.
Laporta had pointed out Umtiti’s lack of game time but did then agree to Umtiti’s request to stay for another season and offered to speak to Koeman about his situation.
Yet it seems clear that Umtiti is not in Koeman’s plans. The Frenchman appears to be behind Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique, Oscar Mingueza, and Clement Lenglet in the pecking order when it comes to center-backs.
Umtiti Took Pay Cut to Stay
Umtiti did agree to lower his salary this season in a bid to help Barcelona’s difficult financial situation. The Frenchman was one of the highest-paid players at the Camp Nou but has accepted the need to adjust his wages, as reported by Marca.
The defender is not the only player to reduce his salary. Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have also adjusted their wages in light of Barcelona’s financial crisis.
The crisis had already seen Barcelona decide to part ways with Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in the summer in order to comply with La Liga’s salary cap.
Barcelona’s wage bill for the 2021-22 campaign has been capped at 97.94 million euros ($114 million) which is comparable to Premier League side Watford, as reported by Bloomberg’s Thomas Gualtieri.
The wage bill of each club is calculated by a club’s wages and revenue and leaves Barcelona far behind rivals Real Madrid and Atletico. Los Blancos are allowed to spend 739.2 million euros, while the defending champions have been capped at 171.6 million euros.
All of which means it would be no surprise to see Barcelona trying hard to trim the squad further in January, particularly when it comes to players such as Umtiti who seem to clearly be surplus to requirements.
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