Tottenham Hotspur have signed France central defender Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan from Barcelona, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 27-year-old made 20 league appearances for the La Liga side last season, mostly off the bench, as they finished second behind champions Real Madrid.
“We are delighted to announce the signing of Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan from Barcelona, subject to international clearance and a work permit,” Spurs said in a statement.
Lenglet, capped 15 times by France, joined Barca from Sevilla in 2018, playing 159 games in all competitions and winning the league title in his first season. He becomes Tottenham’s fifth signing of the close season following the arrivals of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Spurs also sold Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn to Ajax earlier in the day for a Dutch transfer record of 31.5 million euros ($31.9 million).
Luka Jovic ends failed Madrid stint
Serbian striker Luka Jovic has moved on from Real Madrid, three years after a high-profile 60 million euro move from Eintracht Frankfurt. He joins Italian side Fiorentina on a permanent move.
“Fiorentina is delighted to announce the signing of Luka Jovic from Real Madrid on a permanent deal,” the Viola said in a statement.
Notably, Italian media report that Fiorentina have paid no fee to Madrid but that they will get half of any future sale.
The 24-year-old Jovic arrived with a lot of promise as a potential successor to Karim Benzema, but the latter only got better and is a potential Ballon d’Or winner.
Ziyech pushes for Chelsea exit
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has released a statement saying that him and his personal team are taking control of professional matters, hinting at a displeasure that talks have not progressed for his move out of Chelsea.
The Moroccan winger joined Chelsea in 2020 and was instrumental in their 2021 Champions League victory but has fallen out of favour with the club as he featured largely as a substitute over the last season under Thomas Tuchel.
Ronaldo skips United pre-season tour
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Manchester United’s preseason tour to Thailand and Australia amid doubts over his future at the club.
United said Friday that the 37-year-old forward had been granted additional time off to deal with an unspecified family issue that prevented him from reporting back for practice this week. Ronaldo has reportedly asked to leave United.
Ronaldo only returned to United last season after 12 years away from Old Trafford but the team finished in sixth place and only qualified for the Europa League rather than the more prestigious Champions League.
