Barcelona are planning on selling two of their first-team defenders ahead of a potential summer spending spree at the club.
The Spanish giants will be looking to undergo a slight re-build during the summer as Xavi prepares to leave the club, which was confirmed back in January.
The Catalan side have been underwhelming this year under Xavi’s guidance and, in summer, will hope to restructure their side to be able to mount a title charge.
The outlet claim that Clement Lenglet and Eric Garcia are the two names that have been listed as surplus to requirements come the summer window.
Barcelona plan to sell two first-team defenders ahead of a potential summer spending spree
The Spanish giants will look to undergo a re-build as head coach Xavi prepares to depart
Both players are currently on loan from Barcelona – with Lenglet at Aston Villa and Garcia at LaLiga rivals Girona.
The outlet further report that the club are keen to retain Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan from Manchester City, but will need to raise funds to do so.
If they aren’t able to tie Cancelo down to a permanent deal, then the Catalan side will look to bring in a replacement full-back, as well as a left-winger.
There is also speculation that Barcelona will have to bring in a new defensive midfielder – with Premier League sides interested in Frenkie De Jong.
The 26-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in 2022, as his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag set about building his squad upon his Old Trafford arrival.
United eventually made a £70m bid for him and a deal was nearly 90 per cent complete. However, despite sending club representatives out to Spain, United were unable to formalise a deal, with De Jong admitting that he wanted to stay at the LaLiga outfit.
Now 18 months later, the Netherlands international appears to be ready to depart the Spanish club as they continue to underwhelm on and off the pitch.
Clement Lenglet (L) and Eric Garcia (R) are the two defenders up for sale this summer
According to Relevo, the defensive midfielder’s situation this summer will be completely different, with there now being a willingness from both the player and club to part ways.
The club’s dire financial woes also persist, with players like De Jong still receiving outstanding wages that had been deferred from even more trying economic times.
All of this reportedly equates to a willingness from the club’s hierarchy to cash in on a player that still retains a high market value.
A summer move to United would see De Jong finally reunite with his old Ajax boss. The pair worked together from 2017-19, where they won the domestic double and reached a Champions League semi final in 2019.
