Barcelona will once again have to bow down to Atleti’s demand in deal to sell on-loan defensive ace | OneFootball

Clement Lenglet has gone from an afterthought to a key piece in Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid defense.

The French center-back, who arrived on loan from Barcelona last summer, initially struggled for minutes but has since cemented his place in the starting XI.

His performances at the heart of the Atleti backline have impressed the club’s hierarchy, to the point where president Enrique Cerezo is already preparing a permanent transfer bid.

Barcelona to settle for a lower price?

A recent report from Catalunya Radio has offered an update on Lenglet’s transfer saga, suggesting that Barcelona might once again have to settle for Atletico Madrid’s pocket change.

Citing other sources, the report suggests the Madrid club is willing to put forward a bid of around €8-10 million for Lenglet, a figure significantly below what Barça had hoped to recoup.

Clement Lenglet has found immense success under Diego Simeone’s leadership this season (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The Catalans, who originally signed Lenglet from Sevilla for €35 million, had set a valuation of approximately €12 million for his transfer.

For Barcelona, selling Lenglet, even at a lower price, would remove his wages from the club’s books and put an end to his prolonged departure process.

But there is understandable frustration within the club over Atletico’s history of securing Barça players for minimal fees.

In past years, the likes of Luis Suarez, David Villa, and Antoine Griezmann have all moved to the Spanish capital on favorable terms for Atleti.

Now, it seems the Blaugrana may once again have to accept a cut-price deal to offload Lenglet permanently.