Xavi's desire fulfilled as Barcelona near double transfer announcement

Xavi Hernandez has outlined his plans for the upcoming 2022-23 campaign, and has made public the players that are part of his plans going forward. Football Club Barcelona need to raise funds, and a number of first-team stars have been asked to find new clubs.

Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti are among the players that have been deemed surplus. The defensive duo have fallen out of favour under Xavi. Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and summer arrival Andreas Christensen are expected to be the manager's preferred options at centre-back.

Xavi is keen to sign another experienced centre-back, with Sevilla 's Jules Kounde top of the Spaniard's wanted list. It leaves no room for Lenglet and Umtiti, who are already in the process of finding a new home this summer.

Lenglet joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2018 and has made 158 appearances for the Catalan club. According to Marca, the Frenchman is currently in London undergoing a medical before finalising a season-long loan deal to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old has agreed personal terms with Spurs, with the Premier League club agreeing to pay the majority of his current wage. There is also a buy option in the loan agreement, which could see them making his loan permanent next summer for €10 million.

"Clément Lenglet to Tottenham, just matter of time and then... here we go soon. Agreement's being finalised between Barcelona and Tottenham on loan deal, working on details," Romano wrote.

Similarly, Umtiti is also on his way out of the club after struggling to get regular game time at the Camp Nou in the last two seasons. The France international is close to joining French club Rennes on a season-long loan deal.

The 28-year-old centre-back, as per Sport, has arrived in France and is expected to be confirmed as a new Rennes player in the coming days. Barcelona will be glad to see the back of Umtiti after struggling to offload him last summer and during this year's January transfer window.

The Catalan giants agreed a pay cut with the Frenchman, and will continue to pay the majority of his wages during the 2022-23 campaign. However, Barcelona are expected to insert a buy option in his contract, in order to be able to offload him permanently next summer.