Primera Liga: Barcelona set to sign Samuel Umtiti

Reports in the Spanish press claim Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of Lyon central defender Samuel Umtiti. The French club confirmed that Barcelona were interested in the 22-year-old player and the young defender did not deny the possible deal. The Spanish giants are looking for a young centre-back to play alongside Gerard Pique at the heart of their defence and also as a backup for injury-prone Thomas Vermaelen. Samuel Umtiti is currently with the France national team at Euro 2016, but it seems Barcelona have already managed to agree contract terms with the player. However, the two clubs don't seem to have reached an agreement on the transfer fee yet. West Ham, Tottenham and Chelsea have also been interested in the young centre-back, but it seems Barcelona have won the race. Umtiti has risen through the youth ranks at Lyon and made his professional debut in 2012, when he was just 18 years old. He made 129 league appearances for Lyon and scored 3 goals, while representing France at every youth level starting with Under 17. He has not yet made his debut for the senior national team. Barcelona have recently sold central defender Marc Bartra to Borussia Dortmund, and Samuel Umtiti is regarded as an ideal replacement for him. Barcelona are 4/5 at BetFred to win the Primera Liga title again next season.