Real Sociedad and Sevilla showing interest in Barcelona defender

Originally posted on Football Espana | By John Menzies | Last updated Aug 3, 2024 6:49 AM ET

Barcelona must start moving players on if they are to ensure that they return to La Liga’s 1:1 rule by the end of the month. They’re about to agree a loan deal with Girona for Oriol Romeu, and another player that could temporarily leave the club is Clement Lenglet.

Lenglet has impressed during pre-season training, but he’s not expected to be in Hansi Flick’s plans for the 2024-25 campaign. Barcelona would love to sell, but he is not garnering sufficient interest in that regard. As such, a loan move is more likely, and according to Sport, Real Sociedad and Sevilla are among the clubs considering an approach.

AC Milan and Napoli are also keen on Lenglet, but at this stage, no one is willing to pay the percentage of wages that Barcelona desire. Because of this, club bosses are considering a new contract for the French centre-back, which would lower his wages enough to ensure that clubs can cover his salary.

Barcelona are considering extending Lenglet's contract with the aim of distributing his salary over more years, like the club did with Umtiti. This could make Lenglet a more attractive option for other clubs to sign, but Barça also value his professionalism and level shown during…

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 3, 2024

It’s something that worked with Samuel Umtiti, whose contract was eventually terminated by Barcelona last summer. They would certainly welcome a similar outcome with Lenglet down the line, as they are desperate to avoid paying his salary – or at least as much as they do now.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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