Barcelona Confirm Loan Signing of Valencia Defender Jeison Murillo Until End of the Season

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Valencia to take defender Jeison Murillo on loan until the end of the season, with an agreement in place to make the deal permanent for €25m next summer.

With Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umtiti currently out of action with injuries, Ernesto Valverde has has been left with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet as his only available centre backs.

Keen to ease their defensive crisis, Barcelona have moved quickly to sign Murillo on a six-month loan deal, confirmed by the Catalan club on their official website on Thursday evening.

The transfer includes a purchase option to make the move permanent next summer if Murillo performs well between now and then.

Murillo will be presented next on December 27, before he becomes eligible to play for Barcelona from January 1 onwards. He could make his debut against Getafe on January 6, although the Copa del Rey tie against Levante four days later may be more likely.

A Colombian international, Murillo began his senior career in Serie A with Udinese, although he never played for the Italian side before signing for Granada in 2011.

After four seasons there - two of them spent out on loan - he joined Inter in 2015, before moving to Valencia, initially on loan for the 2017/18 season before a purchase option was exercised last summer.

Murillo has only played three matches this season - one each in the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey - so his loss will not affect Los Che too much.

The move is likely to end speculation of Barcelona moving for Zenit defender Branislav Ivanovic or Chelsea centre back Andreas Christensen.