MADRID, June 3 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona on Sunday confirmed they have reached an agreement with French international defender Samuel Umtiti to extend his contract with the club until the end of June 2023.

Umtiti joined from Lyon two seasons ago and has been a fixture in the Barcelona side for the past two seasons, forming a vital partnership with Gerard Pique at the heart of the Barcelona defense, winning two Copa del Rey titles and a La Liga title in his time in Spain.

His relatively low buyout clause had made him a possible target for other major clubs in Europe in recent months and Barcelona have acted to improve that, although the new clause has yet to be confirmed on the Barcelona website.

The 24-year-old has been permitted to leave the France international squad with whom he is preparing for the World Cup finals, and will sign his new contract at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Elsewhere, Athletic Club Bilbao confirmed an agreement to sign 27-year-old former Eibar captain, Dani Garcia until the end of June 2022.