Barcelona misfit’s departure will generate €7.9 million in Fair Play – Romero

After weeks and weeks of efforts, Barcelona have finally been able to reach an agreement for the departure of out-of-favour defender Clement Lenglet.

The Frenchman had been at the club since 2018 but had fallen out of favour in recent years and was sent out on loan to Tottenham last season.

Since returning, it has been made clear that Lenglet does not feature in Xavi’s plans and efforts were being made to get rid of him.

And, earlier today, Barça finally reached a breakthrough as they and Aston Villa reached an agreement over a season-long loan deal for Lenglet.

Fair Play boost for Barcelona

Given that Lenglet was not in the manager’s plans and the high wages he commands, the Blaugrana were very eager to get him off the books.

Ideally, the La Liga champions would have preferred to see him leave permanently for a fee. But even a loan exit will help the club in terms of Financial Fair Play.

As per reports, Barcelona will be bearing only 25% of his wages for this season, with Villa covering the remaining 75%.

As such, his exit is set to create a Fair Play margin of €7.9 million, reports Gerard Romero.

Registering Lenglet with La Liga before loaning him out ensures that the Catalans can benefit on the Fair Play front and his departure is now expected to generate close to €8 million margin.

It could help Barça complete the registration of players like Inigo Martinez and Inaki Pena, although they are likely to need more room to accommodate Joao Cancelo’s signing.