Uncertainty at Barça over Lenglet: the Frenchman leaves his continuity at Atlético up in the air

Summer is approaching and FC Barcelona must begin to make decisions regarding the future of several players, and one of the most complex cases is that of Clément Lenglet. The French defender, currently on loan at Atlético de Madrid, must return to the Azulgrana team once the 2024-25 season ends. He has a valid contract until 2027, but he doesn't seem to have a place in Hansi Flick's sports project, so the Culé entity will probably look for a way out for him.

Currently, Barcelona has a well-covered defensive line, with up to five players on the roster who can play as defenders (Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Ronald Araujo, Eric García and Andreas Christensen), and with the option of adding a new reinforcement like Jonathan Tah. In this context, Lenglet not only runs out of space in sports, but also his salary is high for the role he would play in the team. Thus, the club is working to find a definitive exit for him this summer.

Atlético de Madrid, the most viable option

The most realistic option at this time is for Lenglet to continue at Atlético de Madrid. At 29 years old, the Beauvais native has regained sports prominence under the orders of Diego 'Cholo' Simeone, becoming a key piece of the 'rojiblanco' eleven. In turn, the 'colchonero' team plans to continue strengthening its squad to compete at the highest level, so an environment like the Metropolitano can be ideal for the center back.

Despite the fact that the player prioritizes staying at Atlético and that the interest of the 'colchonero' club is real, the agreement between institutions is not closed. According to 'SPORT', Barcelona would be willing to let him leave for around €10M, but the Madrid team does not contemplate paying such a high amount. Even, their intention would be to get his services for free, arguing that Barça would save a high salary for two seasons.

Could the 'Lenglet case' get bogged down?

If an agreement is not finally reached with Atlético de Madrid, the panorama becomes complicated for Barcelona. Lenglet's high salary, combined with the Catalan team's economic demands, make it difficult to find him a new destination. Although his performance this season has been positive (two goals and two assists in 31 games) and he could revalue his figure, there are not many offers on the table that satisfy the conditions imposed by the Culé team.

It must be remembered that during the previous summer transfer market, the most interested team was only Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia. However, Lenglet rejected that option, leaving the Barcelona club with a limited margin of action. Finally, Atlético appeared as an alternative and has allowed the center back to maintain competitive rhythm and visibility.

The Frenchman talks about his future: "I have a contract, but we haven't talked about it"

In his last public appearance, Clément Lenglet left the door open to any scenario, but without showing certainties: "I live it with great enthusiasm (his first season as a 'colchonero'), wanting to contribute to the team and working day by day as a professional in training and when it's my turn to play. Then we'll see what happens because I have two years left on my contract with Barcelona and we haven't talked about the future yet." His statement makes it clear that the 'Lenglet case' could become one of the 'soap operas' of the next summer market.