Barcelona to sign France defender Samuel Umtiti from Lyon

   Barcelona will sign France defender Samuel Umtiti to a five-year contract after securing his transfer from Lyon.

The Spanish champions said Tuesday that the transfer cost 25 million euros ($27.7 million).

In his debut for the national team, the 22-year-old Umtiti helped France reach the final of the European Championship, which it lost to Portugal on Sunday.

Umtiti played 170 matches for Lyon, scoring five goals in five seasons.

Able to play as a central defender or at left back, he will help strengthen a backline that saw Dani Alves and Marc Bartra leave since the end of last season

The France international joins the Catalan club for a fee of €25 million, signing a five-year contract with a release clause of €60m, having made 170 appearances for Lyon.

Barcelona have completed the signing of Lyon centre-back Samuel Umtiti after the France international agreed a five-year deal at Camp Nou.

The 22-year-old moves to the club for a fee of €25 million, with a buy-out clause of €60m.

Umtiti made his Lyon debut in 2011 and went on to make 170 appearances for the club, winning the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions with the Ligue 1 club.

The France international also won the Under-20 World Cup in 2013, and has earned three caps for the senior team, playing 90 minutes against Iceland and Germany at Euro 2016 before featuring against Portugal in the final.

Vicente del Bosque quits as coach of one of history's greatest national teams!

 

   Del Bosque will now take on a new position at the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), though the precise nature of his mission has yet to be confirmed. There is nonetheless little doubt he will bring genuine pedigree to the role, having led Spain to even greater heights after Luis Aragonés had ended their 44-year trophy drought by winning UEFA EURO 2008.

Del Bosque inherited a brilliant side but made changes to the line-up, including going against the grain to give Sergio Busquets a regular place alongside Xabi Alonso to form a double midfield pivot. On his major tournament debut, the former Real Madrid player and coach lifted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Spain's first global title.

If the Busquets move was widely questioned following Spain's opening loss to Switzerland in South Africa, Del Bosque would be vindicated. His team kept five clean sheets in their next six games en route to hoisting the trophy in Johannesburg.

Two years later, Del Bosque guided Spain to another EURO triumph, their 4-0 victory against Italy in the final close to perfection. La Roja thus became the only side to win three consecutive major international tournaments, while Del Bosque became the second man after Helmut Schön to mastermind EURO and World Cup successes – as well as the first to have also lifted the UEFA Champions League, with Madrid in 1999/2000 and 2001/02.

Vcente del Bosque, who led Spain to FIFA World Cup and EURO glory, has officially stepped down as coach to end an eight-year spell of unprecedented success.

Vicente del Bosque calls time on Spain reign.