Barcelona star “likely” to return in January as Aston Villa take first step towards cancelling loan deal

In recent days, there has been increased speculation surrounding Clement Lenglet.

The French defender has struggled for playing time (outside of the Europa Conference league) since joining Aston Villa on loan,

and this has led to suggestions that he could be re-called by Barcelona in January before being moved on.

In Other News; Sources: Aston Villa deal faces collapse after £100m plan update

Napoli and AC Milan are both keen on Lenglet, and Barcelona would love to sell him during the winter,

so that funds can be raised to battle their ongoing financial problems. The player himself has green-lighted the operation, but

Aston Villa have been reluctant to terminate his loan spell early over fears of being unable to sign a replacement.

However, Fabrizio Romano has now reported that Aston Villa officials have spoken to Lenglet’s

representatives over the possibility of him returning to Barcelona in January – at this stage, it is considered likely that this will be the case

For Barcelona, they will want any deal that is most financially-valuable to them. If re-calling him and moving him on again, whether that be on another loan or peanently, is their best option, they are certain to explore it.

In Other News; Aston Villa will speak to Barcelona about €8 million defender before January window, AC Milan keen on loan