Barcelona put Newcastle United and Arsenal on alert with ‘world class’ defender set to depart

Barcelona are keen to offload France international Clement Lenglet and are reportedly open to allowing the defender to leave the Camp Nou in a loan deal.

Reports in Spain have suggested the former Sevilla centre-back is one of a number of players that will leave the La Liga giants this summer as they look to trim their wage bill.

His inevitable departure from Barca is a far cry from his early days with the club when he was described as ‘world class’ by France manager Didier Deschamps after starring on his debut for Les Bleus during their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

Having featured heavily under former managers Ronald Koeman and Ernesto Valverde, the 15-times capped French international has struggled for game-time under Xavi and was limited to just 11 starts in all competitions last season.

Spanish outlet ‘Sport’ has suggested Newcastle United, Arsenal, Spurs and Everton are all keen on securing the services of the defender, who is set to fall further down the pecking order as Barca prepare to sign Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen.

The report states Barca head coach Xavi has told Lenglet he is not part of his future plans and the player is now said to be open to bringing an end to his four-year stay in Catalonia.

However, Lenglet’s annual wage of around £8.5million could provide a major stumbling block for any potential suitors, meaning he could depart on loan or without a transfer fee.

The reports suggests ‘several’ Premier League clubs have made enquiries over a possible deal and a ‘solution’ could be close.