As seen in the tweet below, Barcelona confirmed that they had reached an agreement on a contract renewal with defensive ace Samuel Umtiti on Sunday.
Given that the French international has established himself as a fundamental figure in the side over the past two seasons, it was crucial that the Catalan giants secured his long-term future.
Having formed a strong partnership with Gerard Pique in the heart of the backline, one that helped Barcelona secure the second best defensive record in La Liga last season, it was imperative that they sorted out Umtiti’s future to keep him at the Nou Camp for the foreseeable future.
However, the problem of a lack of quality depth remains for coach Ernesto Valverde, as he used January signing Yerry Mina sparingly in the second half of the season as he continued to adjust and acclimatise to Spanish football.
Meanwhile, stalwart Thomas Vermaelen isn’t getting any younger and has had his fair share of injury setbacks over the years. In turn, for a club looking to compete on multiple fronts every year, they arguably don’t have the greatest depth in that department.
According to Sport, they’re ready to address that problem despite securing Umtiti’s new contract, as they are reportedly going to prioritise signing Sevilla defender Clement Lenglet with his approval said to be the only thing standing in the way of a deal.
As per Mundo Deportivo, the Frenchman has a €35m release clause, which Barcelona are said to be ready to pay, and based on his impressive displays for Sevilla last season both domestically and in Europe, he looks to be a sensible addition to the squad.
Having landed a domestic double this past year in his first season in charge, Valverde will be hoping to make the necessary tweaks to repeat that feat and ensure that they enjoy an improved run in Europe. Having Lenglet as an option to rotate at the back could be crucial in making that happen.
[BREAKING NEWS]
We are delighted to announce @samumtiti has renewed his contract at @FCBarcelona until 2023!
? #Umtiti2023 pic.twitter.com/ev2GKDqZOj— FC Barcelona ?? (@FCBarcelona) June 3, 2018