Following the revelation that Barcelona have managed to complete the signing of Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer, the attention of the club now goes back to confirming departures to facilitate further arrivals in the near future during the ongoing summer transfer window.
The names that have most frequently been highlighted to be considered as surplus to requirements at FC Barcelona include the likes of Spanish duo Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati, as well as Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie. However, the updated report on a possible departure assesses a particular returning loan player this time around.
As per the report from SPORT, Barcelona player and French defender Clement Lenglet is next on the list for a nearby departure. According to the report, the player is wanted by English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, who he recently played for on loan from Barcelona, and the side is willing to offer €5 million for his services.
While it is undoubtedly less significant than the asking price Barcelona had set for him, there are other factors that make even this €5 million proposal considerable for Barca. The player is willing to leave, the Catalans are willing to sell and the Spurs are willing to take him away.
Due to his renewal until 2026 during the Covid-19 pandemic with increasing salaries and deferred payments to be paid off, the player would reportedly be earning around €16 million next season and that is a figure that Barcelona would preferably not allocate towards a player that is not even in their sporting plans for the upcoming campaign.
Consequently, Spurs are willing to take full responsibility for his wages but then would only be willing to spend around €5 million in transfer fees. Ideally, the English club would prefer to have extended his loan for another year while taking full care of his salary-based problems.
Now, following a decent first season at Tottenham Hotspur with the English side leaning further and further in on a permanent acquisition, a departure for the Frenchman would undoubtedly open up salary space for Barcelona to be able to register other players courtesy of his salary being no longer a problem.
