Samuel Umtiti agrees to contract extension with Barcelona

Barcelona's French central defender Samuel Umtiti has reached an agreement with the club for a five-year contract extension, the La Liga champions announced.

Umtiti will sign the new contract at the Camp Nou stadium and address a press conference thereafter, reports Efe.

"FC Barcelona and Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement to extend the player's contract for a further five seasons through to 2022-2023," the club announced in a statement on its Web site on Sunday.

Since joining Barcelona in July 2016 from Olympique Lyonnais, for 25 million euros ($29 million), the Frenchman has become a key element in the Barça defense.

Given the relatively low buyout clause included in the previous contract (60 million euros) and being just 24 years old, Umtiti became a target for many clubs, making extending his contract a priority for Barcelona.

--IANS

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