FC Barcelona remains one of the world’s most desirable destinations when it comes to players wishing to play for an elite European side. While this exists as a positive for Barca when it comes to attracting top players, it also exists as quite the double-edged blade.
Players like Ilkay Gundogan, Inigo Martinez, and Vitor Roque are just a few examples of top talents that have been drawn to the allure of representing La Blaugrana, but Barcelona are simultaneously also facing the difficulty of offloading players, who remain adamant in their desire to continue playing for the Catalan giants.
According to an interview published in La Vanguardia and highlighted by Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona president Joan Laporta addressed various topics concerning the club and its transfer market operations, and there were two potential exits in particular that he also was asked to refer to with names.
When asked to comment on the situation of French defender Clement Lenglet, who just recently ended a loan spell at English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and now continues to be linked to them regarding a permanent move, the President stated:
I think that we will reach an agreement for Lenglet with Tottenham.
Confirming those rumors, the President also addressed another possible exit from Barcelona, that of Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie.
When speaking regarding the possible exit of the player, Laporta was a bit more cryptic with his answer as opposed to the rather direct response in the case of Clement Lenglet, stating that:
We don’t know formally. If he wants to leave, we will respect it — but he can be very useful for Barca.
Direct confirmation from the Barcelona President himself regarding the two players and their current situations will go a long way in terms of reliability, something that most reports in contrast cannot provide. It remains to be seen whether or not Barcelona does indeed end up succeeding in offloading both players, with Kessie also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia as per speculation.
