Barcelona defender set to join La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid on loan: Reports
Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet is reportedly set to join Atletico Madrid on loan. The 29-year-old Frenchman has spent the last two seasons on loan, at Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, respectively, and the trend looks set to continue.
Since arriving from Sevilla, Lenglet has contributed seven goals and three assists in 160 games across competitions for the Blaugrana. But his last game for the club came in the 2021-22 season, contributing an assist in 23 games across competitions.
Despite being contracted to the Camp Nou till 2026, Lenglet doesn't seem to have a future at the club, even with new boss Hansi Flick arriving this summer to replace the legendary Xavi.
As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Atletico are close to striking a loan deal to snap up the Frenchman, with personal terms reportedly agreed between the two parties.
Last season, the Frenchman contributed an assist in 25 games across competitions for a Villa side that qualified for the current avatar of the UEFA Champions League for the first time. His lone assist came in 14 outings in the Premier League, where Unai Emery's side finished fourth.
What's next for Barcelona?
Barcelona kickstarted the Hansi Flick era with a 2-1 win at Valencia in their La Liga opener last weekend. After Hugo Duro had given the hosts a 44th-minute lead, striker Robert Lewandowski restored parity in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
The Pole struck again four minutes into the second period, and Barca held on to their lead to notch up their first win of the season. They next face Athletic Club at home on Saturday (August 24).
Barca won this fixture 1-0 last season in December, with the on-loan Joao Felix's 28th-minute strike proving to be the winner. However, the return leg at San Mames ended goalless three months later.
Before that, though, Xavi's side went down 4-2 at Athletic in the Copa del Rey quarter-final. Gorka Guzureta's first-minute opener for the hosts was overturned by Andreas Christensen and Lewandowski within 25 minutes.
However, Oihan Sancet struck four minutes after the break to restore parity, eventually forcing extra time, where the eventual winners struck through the Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico, to eliminate the Blaugrana.
The La Liga giants would eventually end the season trophyless, squandering a 4-2 aggregate lead to PSG in the UEFA Champions League to lose 6-4 on aggregate, imploding after a Ronald Araujo red card.