Barcelona will try to loan out defender as permanent transfer seems impossible – report

Throughout the summer, Barcelona have been making great efforts to try and offload Clement Lenglet permanently.

The Frenchman is back after a moderately successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur but has no place in Xavi’s plans at Barça.

Furthermore, his €16 million wages this season make it a matter of urgent importance for the La Liga champions to sever ties with him and get rid of his wages amidst their Financial Fair Play problems.

For the longest period, it appeared that a move back to Tottenham permanently could materialise, with both clubs being locked in talks. But they proved unfruitful and Lenglet continues to remain in Barcelona.

Saudi Arabia also appeared like a viable destination, but the player remains insistent on continuing in Europe, which meant that avenue was closed as well.

Barcelona open the doors for a loan exit

As such, Sergi de Juan of SPORT is now reporting that Barcelona believe that selling Lenglet permanently this summer is practically impossible.

Talks with Tottenham did not yield the desired result due to multiple factors, one of which was Barcelona’s €15 million transfer fee demands, which the Premier League club were unwilling to meet as they would also have to cover the player’s full wages.

As was the case with Tottenham, there are not many clubs that are willing to pay the Catalans a fee and meet the player’s wages at the same time, making a permanent departure unviable at this point.

As such, the Blaugrana see the possibility of a loan exit as more viable and realistic for the former Sevilla defender.

Tottenham, for one, would still be in the picture for Lenglet’s signing, if it would be on loan, while there are some other clubs who could look to take him on a temporary basis.

Barcelona would ideally prefer for Lenglet’s full salary to be paid by the club that signs him on loan, but chances of that appear slim. They hope that at least a large percentage of his wage is off their books at best.

The Catalans hope to find a solution for Lenglet’s situation at the earliest as his exit would help the club with their Fair Play issues.