(Football news) Clement Lenglet is closing in on a departure from Barcelona and looks to complete a surprising move to join Premier League side Tottenham on loan. The centre-back has decided Spurs is his best option currently and will move if the two clubs can agree a loan fee. According to latest reports, Lenglet is just “one step away” from leaving Barcelona and heading to north London.

The two clubs are said to be in “advanced talks” after Roma dropped their interest in the Frenchman. The reports also add that the clubs are currently discussing contract details as personal terms don’t seem to be an obstacle. Barcelona wants Tottenham to pay all of Lenglet’s salary, but Spurs are hoping that the Catalans will help them out in that regard. Barca are still hoping the majority of the outgoings in the squad will be done before Monday which is when the first-team squad are due back for pre-season training at the Ciutat Esportiva. Lenglet had joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2018 and enjoyed a couple of positive seasons but the 27-year-old fell down the pecking order in the Barcelona squad. Given his very high wages, Barça have been intent on getting rid of the defender for quite some time now.

There has been interest in Lenglet’s services from France and Italy but it now seems that Tottenham Hotspur is where the French international will be heading this summer. As per Gianluca Di Marzio, the loan signing of Lenglet from Barça will be until the summer of 2023 as there has been no mention about the percentage of wages that Tottenhman would be paying and how much burden Barcelona will have to bear. Nevertheless, Lenglet’s impending exit will be a huge relief for Barcelona who want to finally offload the player this summer. There could be a possibility that Barca include a buy option in the contract, which could be activated once the loan spell is done. 

Tottenham have been on the hunt for a new left-sided centre-back for a while now and have been linked with the likes of Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig ace Josko Gvardiol. They failed in their attempt to capture them as Antonio Conte’s side quickly turned their focus towards Lenglet and have virtually sealed the deal for the French ace. It is a good move for Lenglet after hardly playing any first team football with Barca for 2 years. The move also comes at a good time for the player as this year he may have an outside chance of making the France World Cup squad. It is now on Tottenham if they agree on a mandatory buy option in the contract.

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