AC Milan to begin negotiations with Barcelona for €10 million-rated defender this week

‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ is a saying that perfectly summarises Clement Lenglet’s situation at Aston Villa currently.

The 28-year-old moved from Barcelona to the Premier League club on loan in early September this year on a one-year loan but has not found much luck under Unai Emery.

His team are shining in third place on the league standings, but the French defender is yet to register any minutes in the Premier League for Aston Villa this season.

Lenglet’s lack of minutes at the club has opened the door for rumours, with Bayern Munich and AC Milan said to be interested in his services. Yet, there are multiple complications to overcome if a winter transfer is to go through for Lenglet.

The Italian job

According to reports from Alex Pintanel, AC Milan are expected to begin negotiations with Barcelona for the on-loan defender in the coming days.

After all, they are in dire need of a centre-back after injuries to two key defenders and hope to secure his services in January.

Milan will not have a difficult time convincing Lenglet, for regular playing time is all he seeks. Negotiating Barcelona will be no herculean effort either as the Catalans have been desperate to get him off their books for a while now.

The hurdle, thus, lies in England. Lenglet’s loan contract with Aston Villa runs until the summer of 2024.

Any transfer must thus go through the offices of Aston Villa and win their approval which is easier said than done.

The second party

The second, and notably bigger name in the running to sign Lenglet is Bayern Munich. As revealed earlier this week, the German giants are in the hunt for a new centre-back in January after injuries to Matthijs de Ligt and Bouna Sarr and fancy the Barcelona star’s profile.

Lenglet is currently valued at €10 million, making him a low-cost and reliable option for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

It remains to be seen if the Germans push for a permanent transfer or a loan, although it appears unlikely that Aston Villa would sanction such a move.