Transfer news: Tottenham are prepared to walk away from signing Clement Lenglet
Tottenham Hotspurs’ patience has been running thin regarding the transfer of Clement Lenglet from Barcelona, according to Sport(h/t Express).
It is said that if the Barcelona defender does not give the green light in the next 48 hours, Chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici are willing to walk away from the deal.
The report also claims that Barcelona coach Xavi had communicated to Lenglet weeks ago that he was not part of his plans for next season. The Blaugrana club will be hoping for the centre-backs departure to free up space in their squad and bring in potential new players.
Lenglet joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2018 as a first-team player. Disappointing performances over the past few seasons have pushed him down the pecking order.
Running out of time?
Antonio Conte would have hoped to complete all his signings before the start of pre-season. Having already signed Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma and Fraser Forster, Conte is now in the market for a centre-back.
He had identified want-away Lenglet as a potential target, but him taking so much time to decide has the Spurs management’s patience on a thin line. The Italian currently prefers Cristian Romero, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier to start games for him.
Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon are the other options but do not appear to have Conte’s unwavering trust. The Italian will be keen to add another centre-back to increase the depth and competition in the Spurs squad.
The 27-year-old French centre-back made 21 league appearances, mostly as a substitute in the 2021/22 season. Should he make a move to Spurs, he could potentially garner more first-team minutes. This would give him a chance to stake a claim on a spot in the French team for the World Cup in Qatar.
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Lenglet will have to make a decision, and a fast one, if he wants to secure a move to Tottenham. Meanwhile, Conte will hope that the player makes up his mind one way or the other giving Tottenham a clear idea on how to respond.
