Aston Villa and Leicester City are reportedly among the clubs that are interested in 26-year-old Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the list of suitors for Clement Lenglet in the ongoing transfer window has just beefed up. Aston Villa and Leicester City are among the clubs that have joined the race to sign the 26-year-old French defender and have already approached Barcelona for him.
Clement Lenglet joined Barcelona from Sevilla in the summer of 2018 and enjoyed a solid maiden campaign at Camp Nou. However, after a blow-hot-blow-cold 2019/20 season, the 26-year-old had to endure another difficult campaign last term, wherein he was constantly in and out of the side. To date, the Frenchman has amassed 133 appearances for Barcelona, chipping in with seven goals and two assists.
However, heading into the summer transfer window, Lenglet’s fate at Barcelona seems to have been sealed, with the Blaugrana reportedly deeming him to be surplus to requirements. Despite the drop in his stature, there is no shortage of suitors for the player, who has already been linked with Everton, with Aston Villa and Leicester City among his latest suitors.
The interest from Aston Villa is interesting, considering they are reportedly closing in on landing Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United. Tuanzebe’s arrival would leave Dean Smith with some quality central defenders at his disposal, and it is unclear where Lenglet would fit in the scheme of things.
As for Leicester City, they have been forced to dip their toes in the transfer market after Wesley Fofana sustained a gruesome injury in a pre-season friendly. Fofana’s long-term absence leaves Brendan Rodgers with Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu, who has previously been linked with Barcelona, as the only viable options at his disposal, thereby making Lenglet a viable target.
However, Aston Villa and Leicester are not the only Premier League clubs vying for his signature, with Brighton & Hove Albion also making an approach to Barcelona for the 26-year-old. The Seagulls are indeed scouring for a replacement for Ben White, who has joined Arsenal this summer, with Lenglet an option worth considering.
For now, what appears to be certain is that Lenglet does not seem to have much of a future at Barcelona, even though he has featured prominently in their pre-season campaign. It now remains to be seen if any of the Premier League trio to have emerged in his pursuit end up swooping him away from Camp Nou this summer.
