Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet is almost certain to leave the club in the closing days of the transfer market, the question is where and in what format.
The Blaugrana seem to be resigned to loaning Lenglet out rather than a permanent deal, and he has interest from multiple clubs. Real Betis are reportedly looking at him as a replacement for the outgoing Luiz Felipe, while city rivals Sevilla are also looking at taking him back to the club that sold him to Barcelona. They have pitched the idea of terminating his deal to the French defender, but thus far, he is not open to it, according to Sport.
However it appears more likely to be a Premier League side that comes in for him. Jijantes claim that will be the case, while Fabrizio Romano says that Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are showing late interest in him too. Earlier in the day it was reported that Olympique Lyon are also looking at the veteran French international.
The Blaugrana appear to be hoping for an auction of sorts, if they are indeed biding their time as Romano claims. Lenglet’s salary hit is believed to be in the region of €15m gross this season, and talks will no doubt come down to which side is willing to pay the largest amount of that. With Barcelona struggling to free up space in their salary limit, they are not in the stongest negotiating position either, depending what business they have in mind.