Atletico Madrid in talks with Barcelona over a loan move for French centre-back

After the signing of Eric Garcia from Manchester City, Barcelona hosted six centre-backs in their squad, including exit-linked Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza.

The former was linked with a move away, with Arsenal said to be closing in on a transfer till his injury halted the activity in its tracks. The latter, meanwhile, was chased by Valencia and a few other La Liga teams but refused to leave the club in the winter.

Interestingly enough, no exit links found their way through to Clement Lenglet, who is arguably one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in Europe. While his defending attributes has taken a toll of late, the Frenchman is an excellent passer of the ball.

That was, until recently, when El Chiringuito reported that Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are in talks over a potential loan move for Lenglet.

They claim that Atletico are in talks with several centre-backs in a bid to improve their defence in the winter and have also contacted Barça for the former Sevilla defender.

The reliable Toni Juanmarti has pushed these rumours down, though, saying that no such move is being planned. Contrasting reports pollute the air as Barcelona fans clench their fists in confusion.