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Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet is reportedly set to join AC Milan on loan with an obligation to buy. The Frenchman has struggled for minutes at Aston Villa during his loan stint and is keen on leaving.
As per a report in Corriere dello Sport, AC Milan are winning the race to sign Lenglet in the January window. The defender has given his green signal for the move and the Serie A side are now discussing terms with Barcelona.
The Catalan side are also happy to let the Frenchman make the switch from Aston Villa to AC Milan but want to add a purchase clause to the deal. They are willing to make the obligation depending on his performance and are now negotiating the free.
Lenglet wanted to join Bayern Munich, who are looking to sign a defender or move to Napoli, but both sides have pulled out of the race. Barcelona manager Xavi has no plans to bring back the Frenchman to his squad and is happy to let go of him.
Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet fails to impress Aston Villa boss Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was delighted to sign Clement Lenglet from Barcelona in the summer. The defender was added as the experienced cover to his backline, but the Frenchman hasn't managed to get a place in the starting XI despite the injury to Tyrone Mings.
After the summer window, Emery said about Aston Villa's incomings via PlanetSport:
"I'm very, very happy with how we've done in the transfer window. We were joined by some players with experiences, young players. We kept a lot of players we had last year, who were being successful with good performances...
"I will be very happy with the players we have in the squad for this season, playing in different competitions and trying to be candidates to do something in all competitions."
However, things have not gone as planned as Lenglet has played just five UEFA Conference League matches this season and is yet to play in the Premier League. Former Villa defender Alan Hutton commented on the centre-back's situation at Villa Park and said:
“I just think Emery fancies the centre-halves ahead of him more. It’s as simple as that. Diego Carlos was brought in for big money and he was out injured but now he’s back, Ezri Konsa is a stick-on to play, you’ve got Pau Torres and when Tyrone Mings is fit, he’ll be back in there.
"At the time, it was good to bring in Lenglet with his experience, his know-how and the fact he’s played for big clubs. He’s always good to fall back on and lean on. It is what it is. The manager just prefers the stronger options at this moment in time.”
Barcelona loaned out Clement Lenglet to Tottenham Hotspur last season, where he made 35 appearances across competitions. The Catalans are keen on getting him off their books, even though he has two years left on his contract.
