Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet was solid in preseason, and reportedly impressed Hansi Flick, but is most likely to leave the club again this summer, as they try to reduce their wage bill. After two years in the Premier League though, he could be remaining in Spain.
Atletico Madrid had made Feyenoord defender David Hancko their top target, but a difference of around €8m between their valuations for the Slovakian has so far stopped any deal. Meanwhile Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie is another name that Atletico like and is on the table.
Tema central zurdo para el Atlético de Madrid.
🇸🇰 El club rojiblanco sigue teniendo a Dávid Hancko como prioridad, pero necesita recortar distancias con el Feyenoord.
🇪🇨 Piero Hincapié es otro nombre que gusta mucho. Opción sobre la mesa.
🇫🇷 Clément Lenglet es la solución…
— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) August 8, 2024
Another name that has been confirmed as on their shortlist is Al-Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte, but Matteo Moretto says a move for him is a little further away, amid links to Real Madrid.
Barcelona are set to receive an unexpected €18m from recent player transactions, as Julián Araujo is close to a €10m transfer to Bournemouth, which could be crucial to register Dani Olmo and Iñigo Martínez. Next year, a separate €8m will follow from Jean-Clair Todibo’s…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 9, 2024
Meanwhile the ‘most easy’ according to Moretto is Barcelona’s Lenglet. The two sides are in talks over how to do a deal, and a sign it is advancing is that Villarreal, who were interested, are now pessimistic about a deal.
🚨🇦🇷 During the Olympics, Julián Álvarez jokingly told Giuliano Simeone: “I’m coming; tell your father not to call me anymore.” 🤣@marca pic.twitter.com/jJgOyQjbtE
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 9, 2024
The 29-year-old’s huge wages have so far prevented any permanent exit from Barcelona being agreed so far, hence two successive loans at Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa. Still capable of performing well in the right system, he would likely be the cheapest of the four options, depending on what kind of wages Laporte would demand.
