Aston Villa register interest in Clement Lenglet

Aston Villa have held talks with Barcelona over the availability of defender Clement Lenglet, 90min understands.

Lenglet spent the 2022/23 season on loan in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, making 35 appearances in all comPetitions for a team who very much underperformed - finishing a disappointing eighth place.

Tottenham had retained an option to buy the France international for just £8.6m upon the expiration of his season-long loan in north London, but ultimately opted not to take up said option.

Spurs did have Lenglet as a fall-back option if they'd failed to sign Micky van de Ven, but the club ultimately got the Dutch centre-back, parting ways with £34.5m to secure the player's services from German club VfL Wolfsburg.

That has opened the door for other clubs to register their interest in Lenglet, a player who Barcelona are very keen to get rid of this summer.

As with most Footballers in Europe, Saudi Pro League clubs have registered their interest in the player however sources have confirmed to 90min that Lenglet would not be keen to move to the Middle East.

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Along with Saudi interest, 90min understands that Aston Villa, Real Betis and Rennes have also made contact over signing the player this summer.

Villa boss Unai Emery is keen to bring in a defender in order to replace the injured Tyrone Mings, who Mings suffered what the club described as a "significant knee injury" on the opening weekend of the season, and has since undergone surgery.

Sources have told 90min that Villa are keen to sign Lenglet on loan this summer in order to add some depth to a defence which currently has just Diego Carlos, Ezri Konza and Pau Torres as fit and available options ahead of what will be a taxing UEFA Europa Conference League campaign.

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