Atletico Madrid has finalized a deal to permanently retain a Barcelona star, strengthening their squad ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The player in question is a well-established name for coach Diego Simeone during the 2024/25 season, who has no future at Barcelona, with coach Hansi Flick happy with the players he has defensively.
Atletico Madrid is moving closer to wrapping up the deal and wants to finalize the deal before they leave for the tournament, where player eligibility will be top priority for the player to fulfill their hopes of competing at the top level at this international event.
The player in question is Clement Lenglet, a 29-year-old French defender who has played 34 times for Atletico Madrid this season, scoring 3 goals and 2 assists.
Marca reports that Atletico Madrid has reached an all-important compromise with Barcelona, allowing Lenglet to leave for free even though he has a contract until June 2026 and earns €16m per season.
Barcelona needs to get rid of part of Lenglet’s wages in line with La Liga regulations, and be good enough to think they could target other players they want to sign.
Atletico are timing the purchase completion of Lenglet so that they will be able to register him in their Club World Cup squad before June 10.
Atletico are in a very competitive group B, starting with a match against Paris Saint-Germain on June 15 and then Seattle Sounders and Botafogo.
It will be challenging because if they finish second, they will face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the knockout round.
Lenglet will strengthen Atletico’s defence and highlights that they are serious about making an impact in the Club World Cup while Barcelona deal with their ongoing financial situation.
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