Barcelona have been dealt a major blow in their bid to move Samuel Umtiti on this month after the defender suffered a broken metatarsal during training.
Umtiti, 28, only put pen to paper on a new four-and-a-half year contract at Barca last week, which raised many eyebrows given he has only made 50 appearances over the past four seasons.
However, the Frenchman accepted a 10 per cent pay cut as part of the extension, allowing Xavi and co to reduce their wage bill and finally register new signing Ferran Torres as a result.
He will still be free to leave Barca in 2023 as he would have been able to before the new deal, meaning the club are hoping to cash in on him either in January or the summer.
Yet that will now prove a tall order this month, as Umtiti could be set to spend the next three months on the sidelines after breaking his fifth metatarsal.
The former Lyon man sustained the injury during a training session with Barca, who will struggle to find a potential suitor while he recovers from the problem.
They were reportedly open to sending him out on loan before the winter window closes, but he will likely stay put in Catalonia and complete his rehabilitation with the Spanish club.
Umtiti, who will undergo surgery on Tuesday, has struggled with injuries in recent years and only featured 16 times for Barca throughout the entirety of last season.
He has only made one appearance this term, making his long-term extension all the more surprising.
Nevertheless, the new contract was largely intended to facilitate Torres' registration at the Nou Camp.
As a result, Barca now have to pay him €27m (£23m) over the course of four-and-a-half years as opposed to €30m (£25m) over 18 months.
Umtiti has spent the last five-and-a-half years at Barca after completing a move from Lyon in 2016, racking up 133 appearances during that time.