Barcelona’s $40M Star Could Be First Arrival At Newcastle Following Saudi Takeover: Report

FC Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet could reportedly be the first arrival at Newcastle United following their sensational takeover by a Saudi consortium.

Newcastle do not want to spend much during the January transfer window but they have Lenglet on their radar ahead of the winter market, reported Spanish publication SPORT. The report has also claimed that the Premier League side has already approached Barcelona with an inquiry regarding Lenglet’s availability during the January window.

Lenglet has been with Barcelona since 2018 and is contracted with the La Liga giants until 2026. Barcelona paid $40 million to Seville to secure Lenglet in the summer of 2018.

Even though Lenglet said he didn’t want to leave Barcelona this summer, he has fallen down in Ronald Koeman’s pecking order. He has made only four appearances in the 2021-22 campaign, which have all come in the La Liga. Moreover, out of those four games, he has started only in one. He has been on the field for four or fewer minutes in each of the other games.

The French center-back is believed to be fitting within the profile Newcastle are looking for. The Magpies also consider that Lenglet would raise the level of defense, especially since he is left-footed and his asking price won’t be too high considering Barcelona’s poor financial situation at present. Lenglet's current market value is around $28 million, according to Transfermarkt.

It was earlier reported that Barcelona are accusing Lenglet’s compatriot Ousmane Dembele of opening talks with Liverpool and Manchester United "behind their back."

While the Catalans thought they had a new deal in place with Dembele, the La Liga giants now believe that the player’s agent has already spoken to Liverpool and Manchester United behind the scenes.

Dembele will run out of a contract at the end of the ongoing campaign. If the French forward rejects a new deal from Barcelona, Liverpool’s sporting director Michael Edwards, who is famous for pulling off surprise signings for the Reds, is aiming to strike a deal with the former Borussia Dortmund star in January. Liverpool are expected to convince Dembele to sign a pre-contract in January that would see the 24-year-old forward move to Liverpool for free ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.