Barcelona struggling to find suitors for central defender
For a long time, it’s been treated as a given that Clement Lenglet will leave Barcelona this summer. At one point he was given an extra week off to conclude his departure. That departure never came and now Barca fears that they may struggle to move the central defender.
According to a report in Mundo Deportivo, there have been no firm offers for the French international, with many teams being put off by his high wages.
Barca believed that there was a robust market for Lenglet, with both Marseille and Tottenham being linked to the former Seville man. He spent last season on loan in North London, and it was expected that Spurs would come in with an offer early in the summer.
There is a valuation gap between the Premier League side and the La Liga champions, with Barca wanting close to €15 million and Tottenham not coming close to offering that kind of sum.
Barcelona are being patient, but everyone knows a sale is needed
Everyone knows the financial situation at Barca, and it’s likely that teams will play hardball over the coming weeks, hoping to force a sale at a discount. Barcelona need to trim their squad and they need to remove players who are on inflated wages, Clement Lenglet is the first name on that list.
Lenglet has made over 100 appearances since arriving in Catalonia from Seville, but Xavi has made it clear that he’s surplus to requirements and won’t feature in his squad this season. Barca simply can’t afford to have a player on his kind of wages, reported to be around €12 million by capology.
Lenglet is currently on tour with Barca in the USA, but it’s reported that he will remain on the sidelines to protect against any potential injury.
It’s still early in the transfer window, but Barcelona were hoping to complete the outgoing in order to strengthen their squad. Xavi is still looking for an attacking midfielder and right back before the window closes, and reports indicate Barca are confident they’ll secure a major signing.
