FC Barcelona wanted to get rid of him and it seems he has found his new home in Atlético. We're talking about Clément Lenglet, a center-back who has a contract until 2027 and is currently on loan at the red-and-white club. His performance is great, and they are willing to keep him, to the point that his future, according to Madrid-Barcelona, has been definitively sealed.
Laporta wants to get rid of him, largely because of the high salary left by Bartomeu. At Barça, Lenglet is considered a useful and high-level player, but the truth is his impact on the wage bill is too large to keep him. Atlético has opened its doors to him, and the operation has been completely agreed upon for next summer.
The plan is clear: let the loan that currently has Clément Lenglet at Atlético finish. This ends on June 30, and the results are good, with 12 matches played and 2 goals scored. Next summer, the French defender will head definitively to the Metropolitano for a symbolic amount, as the biggest achievement is getting rid of his high salary.
Lenglet agrees with the operation and is aware that his future involves staying at Atlético. He has Simeone's confidence and has always asked to play for a team that competes for titles. That's why he's willing to lower his salary to keep playing at the Metropolitano, in a sealed operation that will be official next summer, once the season is over.
Clément Lenglet, a Ruinous Operation for Barça: Laporta Gives the OK
Clément Lenglet's departure is a fact, he has already played his last match with Barça. Next season, he will continue playing at the Metropolitano, although on a permanent basis. The reality is that this is a ruinous operation for the team presided over by Laporta, but it's the price to pay to get rid of his high salary.
The amount Atlético will pay for him will be symbolic, but not the millions in salary that FC Barcelona will shed. We're talking about a similar operation to those signed years ago, with players like David Villa or Luis Suárez heading the same way as the Frenchman Clément Lenglet.
Everything could have changed in the summer of 2023, when Barcelona had a deal closed for the sale of Clément Lenglet to Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr, before taking Laporte, was interested in the center-back from the Catalan team. The deal was closed at 12 million euros, but it was Lenglet himself who refused to go there.
Subsequently, he was loaned to Aston Villa, where he practically didn't play at all, and now he's at Atlético de Madrid. Everything is closed, and it's a matter of time before it becomes official. It won't happen until the end of the season, but Clément Lenglet will be a full-fledged Atlético player in 2025.