Clement Lenglet is reportedly keen on continuing his stay at Barcelona despite his game-time suffering in the ongoing campaign.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet is hoping to stay put at Camp Nou even though he has fallen down the pecking order under Xavi Hernandez and is being linked with an exit.
Lenglet signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2018 from fellow La Liga outfit Sevilla and soon became a mainstay at the back alongside Gerard Pique, replacing compatriot Samuel Umtiti. However, the Frenchman has seen his standing within the squad reduce over the past 20 months or so, especially in the ongoing campaign.
Lenglet was not used regularly by Ronald Koeman before his sacking this term, while Xavi Hernandez has also called upon the Frenchman rarely. As a result, Lenglet has featured just 18 times (827 minutes) for Barcelona this season. The likes of Pique, Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia are all ahead of the French international in the pecking order of things at Camp Nou.
It has led to speculations over his future at the club, with Lenglet being linked with an exit in the upcoming summer transfer window. Reports have claimed that Barcelona are planning to offload Lenglet along with two other defenders in Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza in order to make room for new arrivals.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a subject of interest from Premier League club Newcastle United. Along with the Magpies, Lenglet is also being linked with the north London duo of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, while his former club Sevilla are also credited with an interest.
While it seems like the Barcelona defender has no shortage of suitors heading into the summer transfer window, the aforementioned report states that Lenglet would prefer to stay at Camp Nou and further his career with the Catalan giants. His contract with the club runs until the summer of 2026 and he wishes to see it through.
At the same time, though, Lenglet runs the risk of falling further down the order of preference under Xavi as Barcelona are already closing in on the capture of Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and also plan to sign his teammate Cesar Azpilicueta, both on free transfers at the end of the season.
So, it remains to be seen what the defender decides in the coming months. Staying put at Camp Nou could end up costing him a spot in the France squad for the FIFA World Cup later this year. An important decision awaits Lenglet.
