Bologna eyeing transfer-listed Barcelona defender – report | OneFootball

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Although they have been trying to do so for the last several years, FC Barcelona have not been able to completely solve their Clement Lenglet problem.

The French defender, who is not really wanted in the team anymore, has a contract with the Catalan club till 2026 with a very high salary, and the Blaugranes have been wanting to part ways with him permanently for some years now.

The defender spent the last two years on loan in England, first with Tottenham and then with Aston Villa, but will now do the pre-season with Barcelona under Hansi Flick. However, his chances of staying at the Catalan club are very low.

Fortunately, his last stint at Aston Villa was not really bad, and he has some demand in the market. The Italian side Napoli has been the club that has shown a significant interest in him up to now.

But according to SPORT, another club from Italy is now becoming interested in the Barcelona center-back, i.e., Bologna, who have identified the Frenchman as a possible candidate to replace Riccardo Calafiori, with the Italian defender expected to join a bigger club this summer.

The Bolognese have qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season after a very good season under the current Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, and want to reinforce their ranks before competing with the top European teams.

However, they will not be able to afford the Frenchman’s full wages, and the only way they can have him in their squad is if he reduces his salary by a significant margin, while Barcelona also pays a part of his wages. Thus, this move is not entirely a simple operation for Bologna.

Meanwhile, another option in Italy that Lenglet can consider is AS Roma, but the Romans’ top preference is to get a younger defender.

Furthermore, the defender has also already declined several offers from lower-placed Premier League clubs, and also declined an offer from Saudi Arabia as he wants to continue playing in the top European leagues. However, if he is unable to find a club in Europe in the coming few weeks, he might have to go for one of these two less desirable options.