Samuel Umtiti will attend a trial in Barcelona on Thursday over alleged damages to a rented villa, before flying to Bilbao for Barca’s game with Athletic Club the same evening.
The France international defender, 26, will appear in court in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona after a civil lawsuit was filed against him by the owners of the property.
They are claiming damages of €183,000 (£155k/$202k) for damages to the property in Baix Llobregat, on the Catalan coast.
Umtiti is refusing to pay the fee as he reportedly feels it is an exorbitant figure.
He will appear in court at 11 am on Thursday, February 6.
The time of the trial means he will not be present for Barca’s morning training session, but he is named in the 20-man squad list for their evening game.
Umtiti will fly straight from the trial to Bilbao, where Quique Setien’s side have a Copa del Rey quarter-final with Athletic to negotiate.
He watched Barca’s last game, a 2-1 home win over Levante in La Liga, from the bench. Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet were preferred over him in the centre of defence.
Umtiti’s game time has been inconsistent this season, after starting the campaign with foot and knee injuries.
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He has made just 10 appearances in all competitions as a result, and will be hoping to recover his regular first-team berth.
Also included in the Barca squad is Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal. The 32-year-old missed the Levante game due to bruising on his left thigh, but is available for selection once again.
New manager Setien may be looking to the Copa del Rey as an early chance to deliver silverware in his new role.
Barca were beaten 2-1 by Valencia in last year’s final, having previously lifted the cup four seasons in a row, and they will be keen to return to their previous dominance of the competition.
February is set to be a busy month for Barca, with league games against Real Betis, Getafe and Eibar to come before the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli.
Following the game in Naples, Setien and his side travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for an away Clasico with Real Madrid.
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