Serie A giants AS Roma will reportedly provide stiff competition to Tottenham in the race to sign Clement Lenglet from Barcelona this summer.
According to Spanish journalist Ruben Uria, Clement Lenglet is the subject of interest from AS Roma over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Serie A giants want to sign the Barcelona defender on loan, with Tottenham Hotspur also hot on the heels of the French centre-back.
Clement Lenglet has endured a sharp decline in stature at FC Barcelona in the last couple of seasons. The 27-year-old was once a mainstay at the back for the Blaugrana, but his poor displays came at a cost, with Ronald Araujo usurping him upon graduating from Barcelona B a couple of years ago.
Lenglet reached his lowest ebb as a Barcelona player in the recently-concluded season, as he only managed just over 1,000 minutes of game-time in 26 appearances across all competitions. And the Catalan giants are keen on offloading the French international in the summer transfer window, with AS Roma and Tottenham prepared to secure his services.
AS Roma could lose Roger Ibanez in the summer transfer window amid widespread links with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. Several central defenders have emerged on the Giallorossi’s radar in the last few weeks, including Real Madrid ace Nacho, with Lenglet also a viable target.
The Serie A giants want to sign the Barcelona defender on a dry loan deal while not having the option to sign him permanently. But AS Roma will have to fend off stiff competition from Tottenham in the race to sign Lenglet from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
Spurs are scouring the market for a left-footed centre-back this summer, with Antonio Conte keen on bringing in an upgrade on Ben Davies. The veteran Welsh international has remodelled himself well as a centre-back fit for a back-three, but Tottenham will need a better option to challenge on all fronts in the 2022/23 season.
While Lenglet’s consistency might have been questionable in the last couple of seasons, he could be a brilliant fit in Conte’s system, just like Alessandro Bastoni at Inter Milan. And Tottenham might present a more attractive offer as they want the option to sign the Barcelona defender next summer after initially bringing him on loan. It will be interesting to see if AS Roma’s emergence changes things for Tottenham.
