It’s time for a recap on the Clement Lenglet situation, and an explanation of what has been going on in the Catalan media.
The defender spent last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, and didn’t do too badly. For Barcelona, the situation was simple: Spurs would pay something around €15m and the Frenchman would be off their books.
However, the Premier League club weren’t willing to play ball so easily. Barcelona have been desperate to part ways with Lenglet because they’ve got themselves into something of a pickle with his salary.
That’s covered again by Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo, who state the club ‘have to pay €16m this season according to the contract he has signed with Barcelona after having deferred part of his salary in the middle of the pandemic in October 2020 and extended it until 2026.’
Of course, even the Blaugrana haven’t ever been irresponsible enough to give Lenglet a straight €16m a year deal, they just kicked a load of unpaid wages down the road, extended the contracts of various players, with the money owed paid throughout the duration of the new deals, and then decided to worry about it later.
This is one of the reasons they were so desperate to offload Frenkie de Jong last year. Having deferred these wages to be paid at a later date, they didn’t really want to actually pay them.
Tottenham, naturally, knew all of this and there was even talk at one stage of them trying to get Lenglet as a free agent. That made some sense, because if Barcelona owe him multiple millions, and it could be approaching double digits, then there’s absolutely no way they can expect a club to pay both a transfer fee and cover that.
Mes Que Un Cheek.
Still, that appears to be the outline plan they had, with Barcelona president Joan Laporta telling the Catalan media in early July that he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Spurs.
LOL, not on that basis amigo.
Then came the Saudi league on the horizon, like the rising sun to shine light on all the dark places of Barca’s finances and make everything better.
Except, Lenglet hasn’t been interested, preferring the Tottenham option, and a stay in European football.
Despite repeat attempts to encourage him to move to Al Nassr, Barcelona haven’t quite managed it. The Saudi club quickly moved to a new target and are now working to sign Aymeric Laporte from Manchester City.
Barca will keep trying, there are other Saudi clubs of course, but there remains the chance for Tottenham to hold their nerve and get a great deal.
Some reports this week have even mentioned the possibility of another loan, and the final days of the market could see Barcelona have to give in to Tottenham’s approach… pretty much whatever that approach is.
There’s also an opportunity here for other European clubs, as long as Lenglet sticks to his current stance.
