Barcelona to sell a pair of outcasts to London clubs

Stuart Telford

• 11 Jul 2023 16:55 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona need to find €200 million ahead of next season but could raise a portion of that by selling Franck Kessie and Clement Lenglet to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

Barca have already been busy in the transfer market this summer, signing Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez on frees from Manchester City and Athletic Bilbao respectively, whilst paying Athletico Paranaense an initial €30m for Vitor Roque's services from 2024.

But their overall debt remains alarmingly similar to the €1.35 billion it stood at when they lost club legend Lionel Messi on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and La Liga have told them to raise funds if they want to defend their title next season.

READ: Koeman SLAMS Barcelona's transfer business

Kessie and Lenglet could help them to that end, according to reports in Spain.

"Clement Lenglet and Franck Kessie have already spoken with Xavi," write Catalan daily La Vanguardia. "The coach has informed them he doesn't need them.

Kessie and Lenglet could fetch €60m

"The situation isn't new for Lenglet, who was on loan at Tottenham last season, a team that wanted to sign him. Negotiations with the London club have cooled but there are alternatives in the Premier League.

"Kessie knows that Gundogan's arrival, allied to the presence of Pedri, Gavi, Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong, blocks his path… Chelsea have previously expressed an interest in him."

READ: Kessie's agent lifts lid on Barcelona salary reduction

Kessie and Lenglet are valued at €36.8m and €22.4m per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, which would account for more than a quarter if the capital Barca have been prompted to find.

De Jong has also been linked with a €75, move to Man City in recent weeks, a transfer which would disappoint Erik ten Hag, who desperately wanted to be reunited with his former Ajax protégé at Manchester United last summer.

Whether De Jong leaves or not remains uncertain, but it is clear that Barca plan to sell their way out of trouble this summer, and London is calling for at least two of their players.