Certain operations at FC Barcelona tend to end up being more difficult than others to close. There may be a number of factors behind these cases being difficult, but they are rarely pleasant. Instead, they simply become new challenges that Barcelona have to deal with while other hurdles continue to arise.
Such is the case of a certain French defender who is currently on loan away from the club. Clement Lenglet, aged 28, is currently loaned to English Premier League side Aston Villa and he is expected to be returned back to FC Barcelona this summer after a rather uneventful stint with the English side from Birmingham.
However, Barcelona themselves do not wish to retain the player and would ideally like to sell him. Unfortunately for the Catalan club, Lenglet seems to have no intentions of giving in to those demands. Instead, the French defender would be looking to leave on loan again, a situation in which Barcelona again has to pay a majority part of his salary.
Thus, as SPORT reveals, Barcelona are willing to find a middle ground with the player. The club hopes to either let the player leave on a loan deal where they do not have to be the party that pays most of the player’s wages, or at least get the player to agree to a reduction to help with the club’s financial issues.
While this may sound feasible on the face of it, Lenglet’s demands are a bit restrictive. The player wants to continue competing in Europe and will not look to be transferred away to Saudi Arabia, as he believes the higher level of competition in the Old Continent continues to be his calling.
Previously, a transfer offer close to worth €15 million even arrived for the Barcelona defender, one that was financially suitable for both Barça and even the player’s personal demands, but his will to stay in Europe dampened and broke down that bridge.
Now, the player has a few clubs that are still interested in him and are situated in Europe. This includes former club of Lenglet’s Sevilla, UCL finalists from this season Borussia Dortmund, and English Premier League side West Ham United. However, it is reported that none of those teams would be willing to pay much of Lenglet’s salary.
The real issue for Barcelona when it comes to Lenglet lies specifically in terms of finances. Barcelona cannot afford to pay the player his deferred salary at the expense of topping down all the other reformational work that they have done.
With Lenglet now expected to become one of the highest-paid players at Barcelona next season, while simultaneously not being a sporting guarantee for them, it becomes a lose-lose situation for La Blaugrana. For this reason, Barcelona will do what they can to part ways with the Frenchman in a reasonable manner.
