Barça’s preseason under the direction of Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick is already organizing Barça’s preseason, working with most of the squad members. While waiting for the players who are still enjoying their vacations to arrive, the German coach begins to evaluate who is up to the task of the team and who is not. Among the pleasant surprises, Ansu Fati’s good form stands out, while there have also been disappointments with certain players. Flick has no qualms about informing Joan Laporta about the players he does not want to keep in the team, and one of them is Clément Lenglet.
The odyssey of Clément Lenglet
Clément Lenglet has now been out of the Barça squad for two seasons, on loan to Premier League teams, but without being able to show any outstanding performance. The Frenchman arrived in Barcelona six seasons ago from Sevilla, quickly earning a starting place in the Blaugrana defence. However, his performance declined over the years, until Xavi Hernández decided that there was no room for him on the team.
From team to team without success
Lenglet played one season at Tottenham, where he showed flashes of his past level at Sevilla. However, in the previous preseason, he did not convince the Barça coach and was loaned again to a Premier team, this time to Aston Villa. The last campaign was disastrous for the Frenchman, participating in only 14 games under the direction of Unai Emery, who barely counted on him. Now, he returns to Barcelona, with no intention of fighting for a starting position.
A dilemma for Barça
Hansi Flick wants Lenglet to leave, but Barça finds itself in a complicated situation. There are not many teams interested in signing the Frenchman after seeing his recent performance, and the player himself does not show interest in recovering his previous level. This makes his departure very difficult, since Lenglet has repeatedly rejected the option of terminating his contract by mutual agreement.
A problematic contract
The main obstacle for Barça is the player’s salary. During the club’s financial problems, Lenglet agreed to defer his salary throughout the years of his contract. Now, Barça has a player that they do not have, but who has a contract until 2026 and an increasing salary each season. This progressive increase in annual salary also deters other teams.
Such is the case of Naples and Seville. Both clubs would welcome receiving the Frenchman on loan, but they cannot pay even 20% of his salary. Trying to sell him would be even more complicated, since no team will pay his clause or salary. Furthermore, Lenglet is not willing to give up the money the club owes him. Given this, the most viable option that Laporta sees is to terminate his contract and pay him the corresponding amount.
