Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona are reportedly in talks over a possible loan deal for Clement Lenglet.
The 27-year-old struggled for regular starts over the likes of Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique last term and is not thought to be in Xavi's plans moving forward.
Lenglet is therefore widely expected to head for the Camp Nou exit door in the coming weeks, and he is not thought to be short of suitors in the Premier League.
Tottenham and Arsenal have both been credited with an interest in the France international, although the Gunners are seemingly prioritising a move for Ajax's Lisandro Martinez and have also welcomed William Saliba back to the club from Marseille.
Tottenham could therefore have a clear run at Lenglet's signature, and according to ESPN, the Lilywhites and Barca are locked in discussions over a temporary switch for the centre-back.
© Reuters
The report claims that Barca are still hoping to offload Lenglet on a permanent basis, but they will accept a loan exit so long as Tottenham promise to cover a large chunk of his salary.
Lenglet may now hold discussions with Spurs manager Antonio Conte, who will attempt to convince the undecided defender to make the move to the Premier League.
The former Sevilla man only made seven starts in La Liga for Barcelona last term, and he is supposedly open to an exit from the Catalan club after a four-year stay.
Lenglet has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 159 outings for Barcelona since his £32.3m arrival, winning the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana in that time.
The Frenchman remains under contract at Barcelona for another four years, but the imminent arrival of Andreas Christensen will push him further down the pecking order.
© Reuters
Tottenham have already signed Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma this summer, and a new centre-back is expected to be Conte's next priority.
Alessandro Bastoni was thought to be Spurs' leading target in the back three, but the Italian's agent has insisted that he will not be leaving Inter Milan in the current window.
Milan Skriniar has also emerged as a target, but Paris Saint-Germain are at the head of the queue for the Slovakia international, forcing Tottenham to expand their search.
The Lilywhites have also been in talks over a move for Middlesbrough's Djed Spence but are struggling to meet the Championship side's asking price for the right-back.
Ben Knapton
