The 2018 world champion with the Blues, whose contract duration is not known, should be officially presented tomorrow by the Lille club, which is trying a bet by recruiting an experienced player recently left free by Barcelona and who must revive his career.
Arriving at Barça in 2016 from Olympique Lyonnais, his training club, Umtiti formed for two years the hinge holder with Gerard Piqué, winning two championships, three King's Cups and two Spanish Super Cups, but then lived a much more difficult period, chaining injuries.
Notably handicapped by chronic pain in the left knee, "Big Sam" has had a long crossing of the desert, playing only fifty matches during the four seasons after the title of the Blues of 2018.
Loaned to Lecce last season, the 29-year-old has had a full year playing 25 games, and has brought his experience to help keep the Italian club in Serie A, narrowly acquired one day from the end. Puglia fans were not mistaken in giving him a huge ovation for his last home game.
While his future was still uncertain, the 2018 world champion was released at the beginning of July from his contract with the Catalan club running until the end of the 2025/2026 season.
A manager of the Blues of 2018
An essential link in the coronation of the Blues in Russia, Umtiti has never found the level that had been his during this competition: imperial in defense, dominator in the physical duel, he had also scored the winning goal against Belgium in the semifinals, an action celebrated by a dance praised by the rapper Vegedream.
The French international (31 caps, 4 goals), who had for a time retained the confidence of Didier Deschamps despite his poor playing time in Catalonia, has not played with the tricolor jersey since June 2019 and a defeat of the France against Turkey in a Euro 2020 qualifying match.
Central defender Samuel Umtiti in the Lecce shirt in Turin on May 3, 2023 © Marco BERTORELLO / AFP/Archives
After his successful rebound at Lecce, Umtiti must bring his experience to the defense of Lillois, fifth in the league last season, and who lost their veteran captain José Fonte, 39, who left for Braga after nearly 200 games with the Dogues.
The French defender is Lille's third signing this summer after Portugal's Tiago Santos, who bought 6.5 million euros from Estoril, and Icelandic international attacking midfielder Hákon Haraldsson, who came from FC Copenhagen for an unspecified fee.
© 2023 AFP