Barcelona reaches agreement with Lyon for €25M Umtiti transfer
Barcelona confirmed its first arrival of the summer will see Samuel Umtiti arrive at the Camp Nou from Lyon, with the Catalans agreeing to pay a €25-million transfer fee for the 22-year-old defender.
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed the agreement, adding that the club will discuss terms with the player once he returns from international duties with France at Euro 2016.
"What is left to do is to speak with the player, who is playing with France now," Bartomeu told reporters during a news conference When he is finished (at Euro 2016), the deal will be reviewed. OL have already made it official and we are confirming that it is true."
The centre-back made 30 Ligue 1 appearances for a Lyon side that finished second in the table, 31-points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Bartomeu added that the defending Liga champions have over €60 million it could spend on transfers. It's a figure that he says could also be used to offer lucrative contract to players such as Neymar, who is expected to sign a new five-year contract in the "coming days."
Related: Barcelona president insists Neymar will extend contract
"We want to remain competitive, have the best players, enjoy our football and have stars like (Lionel) Messi, Neymar, (Andres) Iniesta and (Javier) Mascherano," he said.
"So we have a strategic plan to continue facing (this challenge) without having to sell players to cover our debts."