Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Clement Lenglet’s underwhelming seven-year spell at Barcelona has come to an end. The defender has joined Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis, having impressed for Diego Simeone’s side during his loan spell during the 2024-25 domestic season.
Lenglet’s permanent departure has been on the cards for a while. He had been out of favour since 2022, when he was shipped out on loan to Tottenham Hotspur. Another disappointing loan spell at Aston Villa, but the one with Atleti was much more successful – and ultimately, it has led to him being sold.
Barcelona make big saving with Clement Lenglet exit
Barcelona did not receive a transfer fee for Lenglet’s sale, but it was still an excellent deal for them to complete. They have finally got his wages off the books, which was crucial considering that he was set to earn €32m across the final two years of his contract.
And with just €1.5m being paid to Lenglet as compensation in order to force through his departure, it means that Barcelona have netted a total of €30.5m from the operation, as reported by Sport.
Given that Barcelona had their salary cap reduced earlier this year, it is crucial for high earners to be moved on this summer. And given that Lenglet was one of those, it was ideal that he was able to sign for Atleti on a permanent basis.
He is unlikely to be the last Barcelona player on big wages to be moved on during this summer’s transfer windows. Ansu Fati is heading towards the exit door, with a loan move to AS Monaco at an advanced stage. And on top of this, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen could also depart, as he looks set to be relegated to third-choice goalkeeper upon the arrival of Joan Garcia from city rivals Espanyol.
