Barcelona are close to reaching an agreement for their first summer exit, with a report from SPORT confirming that the Blaugrana and Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to finalize the permanent transfer of Clement Lenglet for about €14 million.
Lenglet, 27, has a valid contract with Barcelona until 2026 but it is no secret that he simply has no place in Xavi’s blueprint for the next season. Since joining Tottenham in July 2022 on a season-long loan, the former Sevilla man has managed to convince the management that he could be a worthy addition.
After seeing him in action in 32 matches across all competitions, Tottenham have informed Barça that they want to sign the left-footed centre-back.
Now, it must be noted that there is no purchase option in Lenglet’s loan contract with Tottenham. Above all, finding an agreement with Tottenham back in July was quite difficult as the player’s salary was posing a serious problem. A favorable agreement, however, was reached after the defender agreed to adjust his salary.
The French centre-back was requested by former Tottenham manager Antonio Conte and despite the Italian’s departure, the Frenchman has impressed one and all with his performances.
At the moment, Barcelona and Tottenham are already talking about formalizing a transfer for around €14 million. Tottenham have agreed to pay the mentioned fee but what is delaying the operation is the institutional crisis at the London club.
Tottenham are in a state of restructuring and there is still no word on who their manager will be next season. At Barcelona, however, they are clear that they do not want him back.
At the same time, the Blaugrana management is also feeling quite optimistic about Samuel Umtiti’s departure mostly because they have been in talks with teams who are willing to pay a transfer fee for the Frenchman.
At Barça, there is a rush to formalise these kind of operations as they want to bring in the income before June 30 so that they can rope in new players for the new season.