Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that his side are in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a permanent deal for Clement Lenglet.
The Frenchman spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan with the Lilywhites and featured regularly in the back three, scoring one goal and setting up two more in 35 appearances.
Lenglet started 24 Premier League games for Spurs under Cristian Stellini, Ryan Mason and Antonio Conte, and his solitary goal was a crucial one, coming in their 2-1 win over Marseille which sealed a last-16 Champions League place.
However, Lenglet did not manage to become a fan favourite during his time in North London, and Spurs confirmed that he would be returning to Barcelona at the end of June.
The 28-year-old remains under contract at Camp Nou for another three years, but he does not appear to have a future at the club under Xavi, and his next career move is shrouded in uncertainty.
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Lenglet appears to have impressed new Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou, though, as it has been reported that Spurs are in talks with Barca in the hope of acquiring his services permanently.
During a recent interview with La Vanguardia, Laporta confirmed that the two sides were discussing a move for Lenglet, and there is optimism that an agreement will be struck.
"I think we'll reach an agreement with Tottenham for Lenglet. This almost never goes fast. It depends on the other party," Laporta replied when questioned on rumours surrounding the former Sevilla man.
Tottenham have already splashed the cash to sign Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison this summer, while an agreement has apparently been reached with Manor Solomon.
However, having conceded an alarming 63 goals in the 2022-23 season, Postecoglou is also keen to beef up his leaky defence ahead of the new season, and Spurs have been linked with a host of centre-backs in recent weeks.
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Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi was apparently touted as a top target, but Spurs have been put off by the Eagles' £60m valuation and have seemingly moved onto other targets.
Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo is thought to have emerged as an alternative name, while Spurs could also rival Liverpool for the signature of Wolfsburg and Netherlands starlet Micky van de Ven.
However, Lenglet would likely prove to be the cheapest acquisition, as Barcelona are desperate to complete a firesale of players in order to fund their own summer transfer business.
Tottenham and Barcelona are believed to be close to reaching a compromise of around €10m (£8.6m) for Lenglet, which would see the Blaugrana take a significant hit on the €35.9m (£30.9m) they paid for his services in 2018.
The France international prepares to leave Barcelona having scored seven goals and set up three more in 160 matches for the club, winning one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and one Supercopa de Espana.
Ben Knapton
