As the current season approaches its end, the futures of the eight players that Barcelona sent on loan last summer will once again be up in the air. Very few of these loanees will have a place in Xavi’s squad for the next season, and thus, the time is approaching for them and the Catalan club to decide on their future.
This is particularly true for the French defender Clement Lenglet, whom the Blaugranes have been trying to offload for some years now. Last summer, he joined the Premier League side Aston Villa on loan, after having played for a year at Tottenham prior to that.
The Frenchman had a difficult start to life at Aston Villa and did not make an appearance in the Premier League till December. However, since that time, he has gone on to become an important player for Unai Emery, having accumulated 13 league appearances as a starter.
His contract with Aston Villa does not have a purchase clause, and thus, he will have to return to Barcelona this summer. However, he will meet with Emery and the Aston Villa Sporting Director, Monchi, to find out their intentions regarding him before returning to his parent club.
Mundo Deportivo reports that in addition to Aston Villa, Lenglet will also consider the other proposals that come for him and will make a decision only after the conclusion of the EURO 2024. For now, the only thing certain about his future is that he is not a part of Xavi’s plans and thus will have to look for a way out of Barcelona despite having a contract till 2026.
The Catalans themselves are keen to offload the Frenchman and had received a good offer for him from Saudi Arabia last summer, but the player refused to play in the Saudi League.