Report: Mourinho’s AS Roma makes offer for Barcelona defender

As Barcelona continue to trim their squad and cut down their wage bill, Clement Lenglet finds himself staring at an uncertain future at Camp Nou.

Signed from Sevilla in 2018, the Frenchman enjoyed a solid debut season with Barca but has been on a slow decline since the backend of the 2019/20 campaign, enduring a difficult time last term as well.

The 26-year-old did not look entirely convincing in Barcelona’s pre-season friendly win over Girona on Saturday either, even as speculations about his future continue to do the rounds.

SPORT is now reporting that Lenglet is a subject of transfer interest from Italian giants AS Roma, with Jose Mourinho’s side launching an offer worth €15 million for the Barcelona defender.

This is not the first time that Lenglet has been linked with a move to Rome. Earlier in the summer, there had been talks about a potential player swap deal involving the Frenchman and the Giallorossi captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, which led to nothing.

Nonetheless, it seems like Lenglet still remains a person of interest at Stadio Olimpico, with Roma now making an offer for the centre-back. However, Barcelona are unlikely to do business at the sum being offered for his services, with the Catalan giants holding out for at least €25 million for the Frenchman.

Lenglet, for his part, wishes to continue at Camp Nou. And, even if he does leave, the ex-Sevilla centre-half would prefer a transfer to the Premier League, where Everton and West Ham United have shown an interest in his services.

Furthermore, the report adds that Barcelona are not prioritising selling Lenglet at this point in time and would only consider an exit should a significant offer come along.

The Catalans still remain in a precarious position with regard to their finances and their bloated wage bill. Whether that forces them into considering Roma’s €15 million bid for Lenglet remains to be seen.