FC Barcelona announced a surprising contract extension on Monday – which helps them financially
Samuel Umtiti (28) has committed himself to FC Barcelona for the long term, signing a contract until 2026 on Monday. But there is something else that is crucial: because the centre-back will waive part of his salary for the next one and a half years – that is how long his original contract would have run for – he will help his cash-strapped employer decisively.
The Catalans have announced that they are now in a position to comply with La Liga’s “Financial Fair Play” rules to the extent that they can register 55-million-euro new signing Ferran Torres with the Spanish league less than two weeks after his signing and thus use him in the future.
For some fans, Umtiti has been the scapegoat since Messi’s departure
Sportingly, Umtiti has not played a major role at Barça for months. He has only made one appearance this season. And among the fans, the Frenchman has had an even harder time of it: because he was not prepared to give up his salary beforehand and apparently could not be persuaded to make a move, he is seen by some as the scapegoat for the fact that Barça could not afford to extend Lionel Messi’s contract.
The club, on the other hand, explicitly thanked Umtiti publicly on Monday for the “willingness and affection” he had shown by extending his contract.