Tottenham Hotspur are in the frame to sign Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet, according to Spanish publication Sport. 

The lowdown

Barcelona forked out €35m (£29.8m) to sign the Frenchman from Sevilla in 2018, and he has since gone on to play 160 matches for the Blaugrana. However, he started only seven of their 38 La Liga games this season, and none of their six Europa League knockout fixtures.

The 26-year-old's estimated Transfermarkt value has plummeted from an all-time high of £54m in December 2019 to just £12.6m now, an alarming decline.

Nonetheless, he is under contract for another four years and is thought to earn more than €10m per year (in excess of £160,000 per week).

Barcelona have already lined up the free agent signing of Andreas Christensen from Chelsea and would also like to bring Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, pushing Lenglet further down the pecking order.

The latest

The report from Sport claimed that Lenglet has no place in Xavi's plans heading into next season.

For a time, he refused to countenance the idea of a summer move, but 'in recent days' his stance have softened and he is open to leaving the Nou Camp on loan so that he can retain his full salary.

There are 'several clubs' in the Premier League and Serie A who have 'asked about' the prospective signing of the defender. Among his English-based suitors are Spurs, who face competition from local rivals Arsenal, as well as Everton and Newcastle United.

The hope is that a 'solution' is now 'close' for the out-of-favour Frenchman.

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The verdict

Spurs would be investing in Lenglet in the hope that he could rediscover his top form under Antonio Conte. He has 15 caps for the reigning world champions France and featured at last summer's European Championshi[.

Indeed, when he first appeared on the international scene in 2019, Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps heralded the Barcelona defender as a 'world-class' addition to the squad.

Lenglet is a player with very strong distribution, even if he can lack concentration at times. It may be viewed as a gamble worth taking at Spurs, given that the 26-year-old would not command a transfer fee.

In other news, Antonio Conte greenlights this midfielder's exit.