Barcelona have reportedly increased their asking price for Clement Lenglet to €15m (£12.9m), with the defender previously close to joining Tottenham Hotspur.
The Frenchman spent last season on loan at Spurs, and he looked set to return to North London for what originally could have been a small fee, with Barcelona keen to remove him from their wage bill.
However, SPORT have now reported that Barcelona have raised the fee Spurs will need to pay for the 28-year-old, and have even threatened to sell him elsewhere if their price demands are not met.
This is an incredibly risky move, given that a transfer looked very close before. If Spurs pull out of the deal and Barcelona cannot find another buyer, they run the risk of Lenglet remaining at the club, and having to pay his £200k-per-week wages, with his contract valid for another three years.
Whilst this could be a bluff to move the transfer along quickly, Barcelona’s financial struggles mean that they need to drastically cut their wage bill as a priority, with a heavier focus on wage savings rather than income from transfer fees.
What should Barcelona do?
It is clear that Lenglet needs to leave this window regardless of the fee Barcelona can attract for him. With Spurs interested following his loan last season, and the defender open to returning, they seem the most likely destination for him.
A permanent transfer to Spurs could see his wages completely eliminated from the salary bill, which another loan deal may not, and given how high his salary is, it seems unlikely that other La Liga clubs would be able to fully take them on.
If they walk away from a deal with Spurs over the fee, the risk of Lenglet staying, whilst there is also no room for him in Xavi’s squad, creates a dangerous scenario where they are forced to pay his wages for another season where he will not contribute on the pitch.
Barcelona should therefore be prepared to accept a lower fee, and complete the transfer quickly, which will result in a huge reduction on their already large wage bill.