Decision ‘imminent’ as Aston Villa aim to sign Barcelona star on loan with crucial clause
Clement Lenglet and Ez Abde lining up for Barcelona
Aston Villa are about to find out if they will be signing Clement Lenglet from Barcelona this summer after rivalling Tottenham and Sevilla for his signature, according to reports.
Lenglet spent last season on loan at Tottenham from Barcelona and now his parent club are trying to offload him again. Having failed to find a buyer, they are ready to accept another loan exit for the 28-year-old.
There has been talk all summer of Tottenham taking him back, but Aston Villa have recently begun battling for his signature. Now, various sources in Spain suggest they could win the race to sign him.
According to Diario Sport, Aston Villa want to sign Lenglet on loan with an option to buy. The decision about his next step is said to be ‘imminent’.
Other than Tottenham, another of Lenglet’s former clubs keen on taking him back would be Sevilla. However, Aston Villa transfer chief Monchi is aiming to beat his own former club to the deal.
Lenglet played 35 times for Tottenham last season and before that featured in 85 games for Nancy, 73 for Sevilla and 160 for Barcelona.
His contract in Catalonia is due to last until 2026, which means there would be two years remaining on his deal by the end of a season-long loan for the current campaign.
Aston Villa are eager to add cover for their defence after Tyrone Mings suffered a serious injury. Lenglet is left-footed like Mings, so could be an adequate replacement.
Lenglet holds meeting before Barcelona exit
Barcelona will be glad to get his high wages off their books by sanctioning a loan exit. Yet at the age of 28, Lenglet could become very useful to another club.
Per Sport, he has been at Barcelona’s training complex today, presumably to meet with club director Deco about his future.
If Aston Villa can get their hands on him, Lenglet would be their second new centre-back of the summer after they acquired fellow left-footer Pau Torres from Villarreal.
The other options for the centre of their defence include Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause and Diego Carlos, who also used to play for Sevilla but not at the same time as Lenglet.
Meanwhile, the chances of him returning to Tottenham seemed to decrease when they invested in another left-footed centre-half in the shape of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg.
