Ligue 1 giants Marseille will reportedly soon approach Barcelona over a possible double move for out-of-favour duo Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite are the subjects of interest from Marseille over a possible double move in the summer transfer window. The Ligue 1 giants are expected to submit an enquiry to Barcelona for the out-of-favour duo soon.
Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite have seen their stocks plummet at FC Barcelona in the last twelve months. While Braithwaite was always a rotation option at Camp Nou, Lenglet’s stature has reduced enormously as he once was a first-choice centre-back for the Blaugrana and is now just a backup defender.
Braithwaite, too, endured a frustrating campaign, as he barely featured for Barcelona and could not even amass five appearances this past season. Meanwhile, Lenglet still managed just over 1,000 minutes of game-time in 26 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona. However, neither player seems to have a future at Camp Nou, with the Catalan club ready to cash in on him in the summer transfer window.
Barcelona will trim the first-team squad considerably before making efficient signings in the summer transfer window. And the Catalan giants have deemed Lenglet surplus to requirements, among other players, one of whom is Braithwaite. And Marseille could offer the out-of-favour duo an opportunity to reignite their stuttering careers.
The Ligue 1 giants will likely lose Duje Caleta-Car this summer amid interest from West Ham United and Crystal Palace. In addition, Alvaro Gonzalez is on the wrong side of 30, thus prompting Marseille to scour the market for a centre-back ahead of the 2022/23 season.
As for the pursuit of Braithwaite, Cedric Bakambu is in the thirties, while Arkadiusz Milik is courting interest from several clubs in Europe. The Dane could thus be a handy addition to Marseille’s first-team squad, with Barcelona reportedly prepared to offload him for free in the summer transfer window.
Lenglet and Braithwaite are not the only Barcelona players on Marseille’s radar, with the Ligue 1 giants also setting their sights on Miralem Pjanic and Nico Gonzalez. But the moves for Lenglet and Braithwaite might already be in the pipeline amid uncertainties surrounding the duo’s futures.