Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet looks as if he will be leaving the club for a third season in a row, although this time it could be permanent. Atletico Madrid have an agreement in principle with the 29-year-old French international.
As revealed by Matteo Moretto to Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, Barcelona and Atletico have some final details to sort out before they reach a full agreement on a move, although personal terms have been agreed. Part of those discussions will be working out how to divide the large salary he has, taking into account deferred payments from the pandemic.
Vitor Roque prioritises staying in Spain. @RogerTorello
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 16, 2024
The main hold-up to any deal is that Lenglet is currently Atletico’s back-up option. They will exhaust any possibility of signing Feyenoord’s David Hancko or Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie before giving the deal the go-ahead. Barcelona are not expected to pull the plug on the deal because Atletico are a domestic rival of theirs.
🚨🇵🇹🏴 JUST IN: The negotiations between Atlético Madrid and Chelsea are focused on the structure of the payment for João Félix. The deal is PROGRESSING, and an agreement would unlock Conor Gallagher’s transfer to Atlético Madrid for €42m.@SkySportsNews pic.twitter.com/FBA02FE4QU
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 16, 2024
Lenglet has spent the last two seasons on loan at Tottenham Hotspur and then Aston Villa respectively, giving competent performances for the most part. It is some time since he has been a regular for a Champions League side, but he would be the easiest and most affordable solution to the gap in Atletico’s defence left by Mario Hermoso.
