Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of Sevilla defender Clement Lenglet and are reportedly looking to finalise a deal for the Manchester United target soon.
Spanish publication Don Balon are claiming that Real Madrid’s Champions League success has seen Barcelona become more active in the transfer market. The Catalans are looking to finalise the capture of Sevilla defender Clement Lenglet in the coming weeks and sign the Manchester United target.
Barcelona have so far been embroiled in a contract standoff with Samuel Umtiti, with the Frenchman wanting a bumper pay rise and the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid interested and prepared to meet the defender’s demands.
But, according to the report, Barcelona are aware of Real Madrid and Manchester United’s interest in Lenglet. With the La Liga winners not having many viable options beyond Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti, the Catalan giants are looking to step up their pursuit of the Sevilla defender irrespective of Umtiti’s future at the club.
?[Don Ballon] | Barcelona are reportedly in advanced talks to seal the transfer of Sevilla defender and rumoured Manchester United target Clement Lenglet. pic.twitter.com/updJIe8OuS
— BarcaTimes (@BarcaTimes) May 27, 2018
Clement Lenglet has quietly built up a reputation for himself in La Liga in his one and a half years of association with Sevilla. His performances have seen him enter radar of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona among others.
At Manchester United, central defence is a position that needs reinforcements, with Jose Mourinho ready to offload Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, with Eric Bailly also touted to be on the edge with the manager as far as relations go. Lenglet, with a release clause of €30 million will be a steal by current standards.
But, Barcelona are looking to step up their efforts to land summer reinforcements, especially after Real Madrid’s historic Champions League triumph. With no quality options beyond Umtiti and Pique, Barcelona are not prepared to wait for the former’s situation to resolve and are looking to finalise a deal for Clement Lenglet in the coming week.
The report iterates that Barcelona are reportedly set to reach an agreement with Sevilla and the player and intend to make it official by the end of the week. Lenglet will likely be Barcelona’s first signing of the transfer season and there are chances the Catalans will add more, with Ernesto Valverde eager to build a squad strong enough to challenge on all fronts.
