Lyon officially confirm Samuel Umtiti transfer to Barcelona
It was an open secret, and one which the FC Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, confirmed himself in his extensive press conference on Thursday morning. Samuel Umtiti will be a Barça player next season.
Olympique Lyon have made the news official via a statement on the French club's website on Thursday afternoon. It reads:
"Olympique Lyon has agreed with FC Barcelona the transfer of their French international Samuel Umtiti for a fee of 25 million euros. The transfer will be confirmed once the player passes his medical tests."
These tests will take place sometime after July 15, as the central defender is currently involved with France in the European Championships.
According to Lyon, the player explained his "desire to take the opportunity to form part of this prestigious club" to his president, Jean-Michel Aulas, who kept his word about allowing the player to leave should an offer of this nature be received for him.
The French club also thanked Umtiti "for his dedication since he began his career in 2001" and wished the player "great success with Barcelona, and with the French national side at Euro 2016."
