Barcelona announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with defender Samuel Umtiti to end his contract two years in advance.
Umtiti, 29, spent last season on loan at Italian club Lecce and is thus a free agent this summer.
Although Barca has not disclosed the exact terms of the termination, reports claim that it will free up some salary space to sign new signings.
“Barcelona and Umtiti have reached an agreement to release the player from the contract binding him to the club until the end of the 2025/26 season,” a statement from the Catalan club said Friday.
“The club wishes to express its gratitude to Umtiti and wishes him every fortune and success in the future.”
For €25 million, Umtiti replaced Javier Mascherano when he transferred to Barca from Lyon in 2016. He quickly established himself as a regular in the centre of defence with Gerard Pique.
In 2018, his performance earned him a new contract and a boost in salary, but a series of knee injuries following France’s World Cup victory that year had a negative impact on his club performance.
He played 83 games in his first 2 seasons with FC Barcelona but just 50 in the next four before agreeing to join Serie A team Lecce last summer to kickstart his career.