Tottenham ‘playing clever game’ in bid to sign Clement Lenglet for nothing

Tottenham are playing a clever game by hoping that Barcelona will resort to letting Clement Lenglet join them on a free transfer this summer, according to reports. Lenglet spent last season on loan in north London and established himself as a key player during his brief spell on English shores, with the Frenchman making 35 appearances for Spurs in all competitions.

Tottenham are said to be keen on signing Lenglet on a permanent basis before the new campaign gets underway, although they are yet to agree financial terms with Barcelona as things stand. The defender is valued at £8.5million by Transfermarkt but Tottenham are hoping that his parent club will eventually decide to rip up his contract in a bid to save money, according to AS.

It is said that Lenglet earns around £13m per year at the Nou Camp and Barcelona are eager to get rid of him this summer to ease their well-documented financial troubles. Tottenham are well aware of their situation, though, and are prepared to wait for the Catalan giants to give up on selling Lenglet and release him on a free transfer.

The north Londoners are hoping for Barcelona to take a similar approach as they did with Samuel Umtiti, who had his contract terminated by the club at the end of last month. Lenglet would then be able to return to Tottenham without a transfer fee needing to be paid, which would be the ideal scenario for Spurs between now and the start of next season.

Other reports have suggested that Lenglet has already settled on personal terms at Tottenham, with Sport claiming that an agreement in principle has been reached between player and club. Only time will tell if he ends up moving back to England on a free transfer, although it seems clear that his future no longer lies at Barcelona after being deemed surplus to requirements.

Tottenham are likely to prioritise the signing of a new central defender this summer amid the uncertainty over the futures of Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez, who have both been linked with potential moves elsewhere. Lenglet will be expected to raise his standards if he rejoins the club on a permanent deal, though, with the 27-year-old among those to come under fire for underperforming towards the end of last season.

Former Chelsea forward Tony Cascarino has already questioned whether Lenglet and several other players are worthy of playing for Tottenham, telling talkSPORT: “Lenglet, I’ve seen a lot of him at Barcelona, I don’t think he’s good enough for Spurs. Eric Dier has mainly been a squad player at Tottenham, you could put Davinson Sanchez in there.

“Generally, if you go across their back line, the only ones that I think should survive there is Ben Davies who’s in the twilight of his career and [Cristian] Romero. Emerson Royal, not good enough for Spurs, he’s a decent enough player but not for a team that’s meant to be in the top six.”

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