FC Barcelona have been trying to sell Clement Lenglet throughout the summer, but have not succeeded in this aim yet. Having spent the last season on loan at Tottenham, Barcelona were in negotiations with Spurs for a permanent move of the Frenchman, but this move seems to be less probable to materialize for now.
After some effective additions to the squad earlier, the Catalans are working to bring more players to the club, primarily Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix. While the arrival of Cancelo is only a matter of time now, Barcelona would have to make sales in order to get Felix. And the departure of Lenglet is the highest on their list as the Frenchman has the highest wages in the squad.
Barcelona register Lenglet
In such a situation, it was a surprise that Barcelona had registered Clement Lenglet with La Liga. Lenglet was one of the footballers who were not yet registered, along with Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso, and Inaki Pena, but he is the only one on this list who is not needed by Xavi for this season.
However, SPORT reports that the decision to get him registered is a purely economic one. Barcelona had also registered Sergino Dest before letting him leave for PSV Eindhoven. With the registration of Dest, the club was able to save 50% of his wages, as half his wages are still to be paid by Barcelona.
Now, Barcelona are looking to repeat the same formula with Lenglet. It was previously reported here that Barcelona are losing hope that they can permanently sell the Frenchman this summer, and thus are open to a loan of the player as well. This loan can help save a significant amount that would have been paid as his wages.
The report further mentions that while Lenglet is registered, he still has no number at the club.
Barcelona in a difficult situation with Lenglet
The main factor that makes Lenglet a problem for Barcelona is his high wages; the player being the one with the highest wages at the club currently, reaching around €16 million gross annually. Meanwhile, he is also not a part of Xavi’s plans and has several center-backs ahead of him in the pecking order.
Thus, Lenglet’s case is a particularly difficult one for Barcelona, and the club will be hoping they can get rid of the Frenchman as soon as possible. His registration is not going to change much in this regard, and the fact that he still has no number further strengthens the feeling that the Catalans are looking to offload him in the coming days.
