Barcelona outcast centre-back will join pre-season with team after rejecting offers

Clement Lenglet was not one of the Barcelona players who enjoyed the past year on loan with good performances to back him.

Moving to Aston Villa in the Premier League, the French defender made just 14 league appearances for the club and oversaw just two clean sheets in the process.

His spell at the English club was understandably underwhelming and insufficient to convince them to buy him permanently. He will thus return to Barcelona this summer, given that he has a contract in place until 2026.

Preseason under Flick

As revealed in a recent report by SPORT, Lenglet is in no hurry to resolve his future. His situation is very similar to that of last season and he knows that being contractually bound to Barcelona hands him power.

The defender thus plans to return to take part in the pre-season under Hansi Flick on July 10th. He is aware that his future does not lie in Barcelona but sees himself capable of operating in Europe for the foreseeable future.

Lenglet in no hurry to decide his future. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

It is thus not ruled out that Barcelona agree to a deal like last summer involving a loan with them covering a part of his wages.

The player, for his part, is waiting for offers from Europe that he is confident will arrive.

Rejected offers

With Barcelona already overloaded in the centre-back division, Lenglet will have no place in Flick’s plans and only a miracle can see him stay.

As revealed recently, the 28-year-old centre-back had two promising offers from Saudi Arabia that he chose to turn down.

The Premier League, as it stands, is his focus as the right place for him to continue his career.

It thus remains to be seen if the offers Lenglet is so confident will arrive do indeed arrive at his doorstep. Barcelona, after all, have no place for him in either a sporting or financial sense.