Ferran Torres can now be registered for Barcelona after Samuel Umtiti signs new deal on reduced terms

Updated 10/01/2022 at 12:44 GMT

Samuel Umtiti has signed a new deal with Barcelona until 2026, with his wage drop finally paving the way for Ferran Torres to officially join the club. In a statement, Barcelona thanked Umtiti for his "willingness and the affection he has demonstrated towards the club" in a drawn-out process necessary because of the Blaugrana's financial strife.

Samuel Umtiti

Image credit: Getty Images

Samuel Umtiti has signed a new deal with Barcelona that paves the way for Ferran Torres to finally register with the club.

Umtiti's deal is set to run until 2026, and if he remains in Catalonia until then he will have spent a decade in Barcelona colours, having signed from Lyon in 2016.

In a statement, Barcelona revealed that Umtiti "is reducing a part of the salary that he was due to receive in the year and a half remaining on his contract", and "this contract extension operation does not entail any greater financial commitments for FC Barcelona with regard to the player."

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The considerable upshot of this deal is that Barcelona will finally be able to call Torres one of their own.

The ex-Man City forward has been in limbo since signing for the club last month, with the Blaugrana not having the necessary headroom on their wage bill to accommodate the 21-year-old.

But Umtiti's agreement means Barcelona can now "increase their financial fair play quota", as the statement read.

In truth the deal to keep Umtiti is something of a paradox, with Barcelona keen to protect the Frenchman's value rather than keep him because he is a valued member of the playing group.

Indeed Umtiti is arguably the club's sixth-choice centre-back behind Eric Garcia, Clement Lenglet, Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza, and he hasn't played more than 14 La Liga matches in any of the past three seasons.

This term it looks like being even fewer, with the 28-year-old having just one appearance to his name.

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