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France and Lyon centre-back Samuel Umtiti is not headed to Barcelona yet, although Lyon owner and chairman Jean-Michel Aulas said on Wednesday that there is an "exclusive agreement" for the player to join the Catalan club and talks are ongoing. The Blaugrana outfit have been heavily linked with the Lyon defender, and L'Equipe reported on Wednesday that the two clubs have reached an agreement to close the transfer as early as Thursday evening. The France international's move is reportedly worth as much as €30m and would be completed as soon as his European Championship campaign with Les Bleus ends. The 22-year-old is expected to start France's Euro 2016 quarterfinal in place of the suspended Adil Rami. Aulas said that a decision is not likely until after the match. "We anticipate the eventual departure of Umtiti, Samuel has an exclusive agreement for him to join Barcelona," he told RMC Sport. "Right now, Samuel is with Les Bleus and is focused on the Euros and the fact that he can play Sunday against Iceland. "If the three parties agree, it is possible that he will leave us." Umtiti joined the Lyon youth academy in 2001, and has played 131 league matches since his debut as a 17-year-old. Didier Deschamps added him to the France squad after Jeremy Mathieu suffered a calf injury, but Umtiti has yet to earn his first cap for the senior national team. Aulas clarified that Lyon will not block the move. "We made a promise that if he could play for the club of his heart, he would leave," he said. "It's part of the commitment which we have made, as was done for Karim Benzema when he went to Real Madrid."
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