FC Barcelona entered into this summer transfer window with a clear objective of clearing the clutter in their squad and selling the players that Xavi would not need in the upcoming seasons. However, the club has been facing problems finding suitors for such players, and no significant sale has been made up till now.
The French defender, Clement Lenglet, was recently reported to be quite near to a move out of the club, with negotiations between Barcelona and Tottenham for his sale having reached an advanced stage. The center-back had already spent the last season on loan at the London-based club, and Spurs were considering a permanent purchase of the defender this summer.
However, according to SPORT, a conclusive agreement on this move remains to be arrived at between the clubs. The player had already reached an agreement with Tottenham under which he would have signed a three-year contract with Spurs and would have received a good part of the astronomical wage that he currently has with Barcelona.
With this point having been settled, it was thought that the move would be finalized smoothly from this point onwards. However, Barcelona dragged their feet with the final agreement, as they believed they were getting too little for the defender, as they claimed that other sides were also interested in the Lenglet and made a demand of €15 million.
It is not clear whether this was a bargaining tactic from Barcelona or the reality, but this demand can end up bulldozing the entire negotiations for the Frenchman’s sale. The Catalans need to urgently lower their wage bill to ensure they can register all of their new signings and renewed contracts, and a failure to move Lenglet can end up jeopardizing this objective.
Things can get out of the hands of FC Barcelona if Tottenham end up pursuing and getting another defender. Thus, Barcelona would have to make a decision soon whether they actually want the extra income while risking the wage bill reduction that Lenglet’s transfer would have afforded them.
