Report: Barcelona Eyes Sevilla's Lenglet as Potential Umtiti Replacement
Barcelona have identified Sevilla's Clement Lenglet as a possible target this summer, should his fellow Frenchman Samuel Umtiti leave Camp Nou.
The 24-year-old defender is a rumored target of Manchester United, with the Red Devils possibly willing to pay his €60m release clause, as they look to close the gap on rivals Manchester City, while Barcelona's contract renewal talks with Umtiti have not gone to plan.
While Umtiti has claimed he is "very happy" at Barcelona, Sport have claimed that Barcelona are already putting in place contingency plans should the worst happen and have identified Sevilla center back Lenglet, among their list of candidates.
The former France under-21 international caught they eye with a standout performance against Manchester United in the Champions League, which convinced Barcelona that he has the attributes required to play at the highest level.
With a comparatively low €30m release clause, the 22-year-old would cost Barcelona only half of the fee they would be set to receive for a possible Umtiti departure.
In comments to a French agency, Lenglet said of the interest: "Barcelona are a great team, with international players at a very high level.
"But it's the same here [at Sevilla], too, and I am happy here. We will see what happens in the future, but for now, I am focused on La Liga and the Champions League."
Lenglet, who stands at 6-foot-2, joined Sevilla from French side Nantes last January and is under contract with the Spanish side until 2021.
