According to Spanish media outlet Sport, to address their salary cap issues, Barcelona will try to convince Clément Lenglet to move to the Saudi Pro League. If the player doesn’t agree, the club will consider terminating his contract before the transfer window closes.
Lenglet’s contract runs until 2026, and he earns a whopping €16 million per year, making him one of the highest earners in the squad. The club is looking for solutions to address their wage bill, and one of those is to terminate contracts.
The 29-year-old French defender was loaned to Aston Villa last season, where he only played 14 Premier League games. Lenglet is now back at Barcelona and has been participating in pre-season training under new coach Xavi. The club is satisfied with his professional attitude, but both player and club know he’s not in Xavi’s plans. Barcelona hope to find a solution and resolve this major headache in the coming weeks.
Barcelona hope to persuade the player to move to the Saudi Pro League, which is the only option that can afford his high salary. The club won’t be asking for a high transfer fee to set up obstacles. However, the player is not convinced by this option and wants to stay in Europe. Although several European teams are interested in him, such as Napoli in Italy, Sevilla in Spain, and a few teams in France, none of these clubs are willing to pay his €16 million salary, only offering to cover 20% of it.
A mutual termination of the contract is another option. Barcelona has tried multiple times to convince the player to agree to a mutual termination, which would give him some financial compensation and freedom, while relieving the club of its salary burden. However, Lenglet is unwilling to give up his remaining two years on the contract, leading to a stalemate.
Sport reports that Barcelona has given Lenglet and his agent time to find a new club, even taking him to the US on their tour. If Lenglet hasn’t found a new club by the end of August, Barcelona will push for a termination of the contract. The club will likely have to pay a sum, but freeing up salary space is crucial for the club to pass financial audits. The club is prepared to do so.
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