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FC Barcelona transfer rumour update – Guilherme Arana and Clément Lenglet

By Chiranjib Ghosh

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - APRIL 20: Guilherme Arana of Corinthians celebrates scoring the fourth goal during a match between Corinthians and Cobresal as part of Group 8 of Copa Bridgestone Libertadores at Arena Corinthians on April 20, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - APRIL 20: Guilherme Arana of Corinthians celebrates scoring the fourth goal during a match between Corinthians and Cobresal as part of Group 8 of Copa Bridgestone Libertadores at Arena Corinthians on April 20, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona consider Sevilla’s Clément Lenglet as centre-back option

SEVILLE, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 01: Clement Lenglet of Sevilla FC celebrates after scoring the first goal for Sevilla FC during the UEFA Champions League group E match between Sevilla FC and Spartak Moskva at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on November 1, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 01: Clement Lenglet of Sevilla FC celebrates after scoring the first goal for Sevilla FC during the UEFA Champions League group E match between Sevilla FC and Spartak Moskva at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on November 1, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images) /

With Javier Mascherano set to leave the club next summer and Thomas Vermaelen on his way out, Barcelona need two talented young centre-backs to back up first-choice Gerard Piqué and Samuel Umtiti.

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Yerry Mina is a done deal for next summer, but Barcelona need another centre-back considering a potential January exit for Vermaelen. Among the various options are Matthijs de Ligt and Kalidou Koulibaly. But a new one has emerged, the 22-year old Clément Lenglet.

The French youngster has been a revelation under Eduardo Berizzo. He signed from Nancy last January, but he did not find a place in Jorge Sampaoli’s first-team. But that has not been the case under Berizzo.

Lenglet has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season, with an impressive average rating of 7.1. With his emergence as one of Europe’s top talents, he appears to be a good option. He has a contract with Los Nervionenses till 2021, but has a release clause of €30 million.

Taking into consideration the expensiveness of the other targets, Lenglet is a good option financially too. But the season is yet to reach its business end. If he shows his mettle then, Lenglet could be in for a move to the Camp Nou.

Barcelona interested in signing the ‘new Marcelo’

Guilherme Arana is the ‘new Marcelo’, who has attracted interest from Europe following a string of impressive performances for Corinthians in the Brasileiro. Arana’s career has followed a similar trajectory to Marcelo’s.

The best left-back in the world came from humble beginnings, but made it big in the various levels before breaking into the first-team squad for Fluminense. The same thing has happened for Arana, except that he is playing in São Paulo, not Rio de Janeiro.

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Marcelo sealed a move to a top European side at the age of 20, and Guilherme Arana may do the same. Atlético Madrid and Sevilla are interested in the youngster, along with Barcelona.

Barca signed Lucas Digne last season in hopes that he would successfully displace Jordi Alba from the first-team. But the Frenchman has failed. He is also not a favourite of Ernesto Valverde. Now, Barca are weighing up signing Guilherme Arana as a replacement for the possibly departing Digne.

He also has a similar profile to Jordi Alba. Both left-backs are short, weak in the tackle and pacy. Arana can be the ideal long-term replacement for the 28-year old Spaniard. Despite his consistent performances, Corinthians are looking to move him on to raise some funds.

Next: Antoine Griezmann’s release clause returns to €100 million

The Brazilian club is in a bad financial position and want to get some compensation before he leaves on a free transfer in 2019. But it remains to be seen whether Barcelona can fight off competition from their La Liga rivals to land him.

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