Clément Lenglet Opens Talks Over New Barcelona Contract
By Tom Gott
Barcelona centre-back Clément Lenglet has opened talks with the club over a new contract, despite still having three years remaining on his current deal.
During this past summer of uncertainty at Camp Nou, Lenglet was seen as an untouchable member of the squad, with club officials believed to be ecstatic with both his performances on the pitch and his behaviour behind the scenes.
Barça don't plan on letting Lenglet go any time soon, and according to Mundo Deportivo, they have already sat down with the Frenchman to discuss an extension, with La Blaugrana keen to give him a much-deserved pay rise.
Lenglet is still on the contract he first signed when he joined back in 2018, but his profile has risen so much since then that Barcelona believe he deserves a financial reward. If all goes according to plan, he is expected to earn closer to the wage earned by Samuel Umtiti, who is understood to earn close to £130,000-a-week.
The news comes as Barcelona have asked their squad to take wage deferrals in the wake of the sizeable losses made during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Barcelona have proposed that their squad, whose wages make up 70% of the club's expenditure, agree to a system which would delay the payments of their wage, rather than slash the salaries outright.
Catalunya Ràdio claim that nearly every member of the first-team squad has signed a letter voicing their frustration towards the decision to impact their salaries, with Marc-André ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong and Lenglet said to have refused to sign.
However, MD insist that Lenglet did in fact join his team-mates in protesting the wage cut, and the petition has now been handed over the club's lawyers to deal with.
Club officials have insisted that players will still take home their normal wages, but payments would come in instalments while the club find a way to cope with the major loss of income presented by the lack of fans at Camp Nou.
The proposal has been met with fierce resistance, although there does appear to be some support for the movement in the dressing room. However, which side of the fence Lenglet finds himself remains a mystery.