Tottenham Hotspur could end up turning to Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet as a ‘last resort’ this summer, Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has claimed. 

According to a report from The Athletic, Antonio Conte’s side will be prioritising the signing of a left-sided centre-back this summer.

Reliable Lilywhites journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed that Fabio Paratici’s top two options are Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, although both players are proving to be difficult to secure right now.

This could mean that Tottenham are forced into exploring options further down Paratici’s list, with Conte viewing a left-sided centre-back as a necessity this summer.

The Latest: Bridge’s claim on Lenglet

Bridge has claimed that if Spurs end up becoming desperate towards the end of the transfer window, they could then look towards Barcelona’s Lenglet, who is said to have agreed to leave the La Liga giants ahead of next season.

Speaking with GiveMeSport on Sunday evening, the Sky Sports reporter claimed: “There’s talk about Bremer, the Torino defender, and then the one Barcelona have offered to every European club, Clement Lenglet. I think that could be a very last resort. Even a deadline day one maybe, if Tottenham really have not got anyone, but he’d be the last resort, I’d imagine.”

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The Verdict: Fallen stock

When Lenglet signed for the Catalan club in 2018, the Frenchman was highly regarded, having earned 15 caps for his national team, who are the reigning world champions.

However, in more recent times, the defender’s stock has fallen. In the 2021/22 season, the 27-year-old started only seven league matches and received an average WhoScored match rating of 6.30, ranking him a lowly 30th out of the entire Barcelona squad. Anyone who rated below him started two league games or fewer.

Therefore, if Conte is able to get the best out of Lenglet, then this could be a short-term option. However, as things stand, this transfer seems rather unlikely, and it's not one that Spurs should feel too disappointed about missing out upon if that proves to be the case.

In other news: Media blown away by ‘massive’ transfer news