Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is reportedly closing in on a loan deal to join Lecce.

Umtiti has struggled with injuries in his time at Barcelona, which has affected his playing time, while he has also fallen down the pecking order at the club.

The defender made just one league appearance in the 2021-22 campaign, and he was widely expected to leave the Catalan giants this summer.

According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Umtiti is nearing a Barcelona exit as he closes in on a loan move to Serie A club Lecce.

Barcelona will pay 100% of Umtiti's wages, but the two clubs are still discussing add-ons, which would be based on appearances made by the centre-back.

The report states that Umtiti will fly to Lecce on Wednesday to complete his loan move to the newly-promoted side.