Barcelona prioritise the exit of defender whose continuity would cost €16 million

Even though the summer transfer window is still not officially open, FC Barcelona are already working on securing the exits of several players who are not part of the plan under new manager Hansi Flick.

One such player who happens to be on the exit ramp this summer is out-of-favour defender Clement Lenglet.

The French centre-half spent the last two seasons away on loan at Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, respectively, and has no place in the plans at Barça.

The defender is also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, but has already rejected two offers as he prefers to continue playing in Europe.

Barcelona prioritising Lenglet exit

However, as per RAC1, Barcelona are prioritising the exit of Lenglet this summer as keeping him at the club would be a major financial burden.

It must be remembered that Lenglet signed a new contract with Barcelona in 2020 which came with salary deferrals.

Barcelona eager to offload Lenglet. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Due to that, if he stays at Barça next season, it would cost the club around €16 million in wages – an expense that the club cannot afford in their current situation.

As such, Barça are eager to ship Lenglet off and want to get the operation done as soon as possible.

Lenglet in no hurry

But the problem is that Lenglet is in no hurry to leave Barcelona and intends to do pre-season under new manager Hansi Flick.

As mentioned earlier, the former Sevilla ace has already rejected two proposals to move to Saudi Arabia.

Instead, he wants to wait for the summer market to move forward because he believes that this way he will receive better offers and prioritises staying in Europe.