Lenglet back to Barça as Tottenham continue to negotiate transfer fee

Tottenham officially notified the end of Clément Lenglet's loan period on Thursday. The London club carried out this administrative procedure after the end of all the season and in the midst of a squad reshuffle. The arrival of the new coach, Auge Postecoglou, has not changed the roadmap of the sporting management, who are still negotiating with Barça over the transfer fee for the French centre-back.

Spurs released a brief statement on their official website: "We can confirm the departures of Arnaut Danjuma and Clément Lenglet following the conclusion of their loan spells with us. Defender Lenglet joined us last summer from Barcelona and made 35 appearances in all competitions, scoring once. We are grateful for their services and wish them all the best for the future."

In recent months, Tottenham had conveyed their satisfaction with Lenglet's performances and had hinted at their willingness to acquire him on permanent basis. Their interim manager, Ryan Mason, had been quick to say publicly that the French centre-back was "the type of player we want." At the time, Barça did not include a mandatory option to buy in the loan deal.

Barça's desire is to recoup a good part of the €36 million they invested in the summer of 2018 and at the moment his valuation is around €20m. The positions between the Catalan giants and Tottenham have come closer, although there are still notable differences: Barça have settled on €12m but Spurs are only willing to go half that amount.

It is hoped that the differences can be resolved over the next week. The operation is on the table and all parties are rowing in the direction of a definitive transfer.