The final hours of the summer transfer window are said to bring FC Barcelona closure in terms of finalizing their pending operations. The operations in question are both arrivals and departures, and Barcelona will continue to act urgently in order to properly conclude these agreements.
The arrival of 29-year-old Joao Cancelo is among the priority objectives for Barcelona to complete before the end of the window. The Manchester City fullback is currently awaiting the final greenlight from Barcelona to travel to Spain.
To ensure that the adequate salary margin is maintained, Barcelona are looking to offload surplus players that no longer fit in the plans of the Barcelona head coach. Among them, the name of French defender Clement Lenglet stands out in particular.
Currently boasting one of the highest salaries in the squad, mainly due to deferred payments, Barcelona are looking to find a new home for the French central defender that would be willing to entertain his salary, or at least a significant portion of it.
According to the ever-reliable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, FC Barcelona are currently negotiating with Premier League club Aston Villa to find an agreement that would see the 28-year-old defender leave for England.
As per the Italian journalist, it would be a loan move that would see Lenglet spend the entirety of the 2023/2024 season with Aston Villa. The aspect of the deal that is currently being primarily negotiated, however, is the division of his salary’s responsibility for the season.
While the deal is definitely advancing as per the words of Romano, there is no conclusion yet and it is certainly not a done deal at the moment.
FC Barcelona will try to sort out details that benefit them in regards to FFP, as they wish to subsequently incorporate other players and pursue new signings after this operation.
Previously, other clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr were also in the running to pursue the Frenchman. However, the reports concerning their involvements have simmered down in recent days as they look at other alternatives.