Aston Villa defender Clement Lenglet could reportedly depart in January, ending his season-long loan deal from Barcelona early.
The 28-year-old joined us over the summer in a loan deal with no option to buy included in the agreement, and he has gone on to make five appearances in the Europa Conference League so far this season, but has yet to feature in the Premier League.
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Particularly given Tyrone Mings’ season-ending injury in our first game of the campaign, the expectation was that Lenglet could become a key addition to help fill that void, but such has been the form of Pau Torres, he has struggled to get a look in.
In addition, he was a surprise absentee from our squad that faced Zrinjski on Thursday, as the club released images of the squad travelling to Mostar, and Lenglet was part of that group.
According to Fabrizio Romano, he could leave next month as AC Milan have made an enquiry with Barcelona about his situation, as they currently have an injury crisis at centre-half that will need to be addressed.
In turn, time will tell if Lenglet has become frustrated at Villa with his lack of playing time and would consider a fresh opportunity elsewhere, or if he is willing to stick it out until the end of the season, as opportunities could open up for him over the course of a gruelling campaign.
Ideally from a Villa perspective, we’d be able to keep him until the summer, as per the initial agreement, as he is important cover for Torres to play on the left side of a centre-half partnership, and we’ll hopefully welcome Mings back in pre-season ahead of his return next year.
However, much will depend on Lenglet and Barcelona’s preference, as a limited role and lack of playing time certainly won’t suit them. Further, any exit would likely mean that Villa would have to act in the January transfer window to fill that void, which would be a shame as the French defender has looked a good fit for Unai Emery when involved.