Barca agree Murillo loan deal

Barcelona have secured the signing of Jeison Murillo from Valencia, according to Sport. The defender will join the La Liga champions for the rest of the season, pending a medical which he is yet to take.

With Samuel Umtiti out for a long time and Thomas Vermaelen also injured, Barcelona were looking for a short-term solution to their defensive problems. Former Chelsea stalwart Branislav Ivanović and their currently out of favor centre-back Andreas Christensen were being reported as the two preferred targets, and manager Ernesto Valverde was also contemplating giving their “B”side player Chumi a chance.

Murillo spent last season playing for Valencia on loan from Inter Milan, and he moved to the Mestalla permanently in the summer this year. However, he has only appeared three times on the pitch since then, and he is now set to play the backup role for the first-choice duo of Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet.