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Roma are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet. The Frenchman is being touted to leave the club this summer and Jose Mourinho has identified him as a potential target.
According to SPORT, Roma have already offered Barcelona €15 million, but the Catalan giants are holding out for a €25 million transfer fee. The defender has been deemed expendable by the club as they look to alleviate their burgeoning wage bill.
The report also states that Barcelona would prefer Italian midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini to be part of the deal that sends Lenglet to Roma. However, Jose Mourinho is not keen on a swap deal.
Lenglet has also been the subject of interest from Premier League clubs, with Everton and West Ham looking to sign the defender on-loan with an option to buy him at the end of the 2021-22 season. The defender reportedly prefers to stay at Barcelona, but would be willing to move to the Premier League.
The Frenchman's contract at the club runs until 2026, but Barcelona manager Ronaldo Koeman seemingly does not have him as part of his future plans for the team. Lenglet made 29 league starts for the Blaugrana last season, but was often made the scapegoat for their subpar performances in the 2020-21 campaign.
With Barcelona desperate to reduce their wage bill, it remains to be seen whether the the Serie A club will meet their price to sign Lenglet this summer.
Barcelona yet to re-sign Lionel Messi
Barcelona have not yet finalized a deal to bring Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi back to the club. According to reports, Messi is willing to take a fifty per cent pay-cut in order to sign a new contract, however, La Liga is requiring Barcelona to reduce their massive wage bill in order to be able to sign the forward.
According to ESPN, if Barcelona fail to do this, they will not be able to register Lionel Messi or any of their new signings to play in the league until January. Blaugrana have signed Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Emerson so far and are looking to add further reinforcements during this window. However, they will now need to get rid of a few players in order to do so.
