Three defenders who could leave Barcelona this summer

Barcelona made their second signing of the summer on Wednesday, with Inigo Martinez's switch on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao being confirmed.

The 32-year-old arrives at Camp Nou with a wealth of La Liga experience and is expected to be an important player for Xavi's side during the 2023-24 campaign.

Ilkay Gundogan has also moved to the club this summer, but Barcelona are working on a budget, so there will have to be departures in the coming weeks if the Catalan outfit are to continue to be active.

Jordi Alba and Samuel Umtiti have both left the club on free transfers this summer, but there are other defenders at Camp Nou facing uncertain futures.

Here, Sports Mole picks out three defenders who could be on their way out.

Clement Lenglet

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Lenglet has largely found it difficult to impress for Barcelona since making the move to the club from Sevilla in July 2018, and he spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Frenchman featured on 35 occasions for Spurs last season, scoring once and providing two assists, and he is widely expected to join the North London club on a permanent basis.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently said that he is confident of reaching an agreement with Spurs to sell the centre-back in the not too distant future.

"I think with Tottenham we will reach an agreement for Lenglet," Laporta told La Vanguardia. "This almost never goes fast. It depends on the other party. For us, they are all cases that would have been solved yesterday."

The 28-year-old, who has made 160 appearances for Barcelona, is seemingly not in the plans of head coach Xavi for next season, and his exit is set to be confirmed this month.

Sergino Dest

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Barcelona are not exactly blessed with a host of options at right-back, but there is seemingly no future at the club for United States international Dest.

The 22-year-old arrived at Camp Nou from Ajax in the summer of 2020, and he has represented the Catalan side on 72 occasions, scoring three goals and registering four assists in the process.

Dest spent last season on loan with AC Milan, but he only made 14 appearances during an unsuccessful spell, with his last appearance coming in January.

The American has another two years left to run on a lucrative deal at Camp Nou, and there is not believed to be any concrete interest in his services at this stage of proceedings.

However, it would be a surprise if Dest was still at Camp Nou at the end of the summer market.

Eric Garcia

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While the departures of Lenglet and Dest are expected, it is more uncertain when it comes to Garcia, with the 22-year-old certainly admired by head coach Xavi.

The Spain international featured on 32 occasions during the 2022-23 campaign, with 24 of those appearances coming in La Liga, but he only started 15 times in Spain's top flight last term.

Martinez's arrival has pushed him further down the pecking order, and it will be interesting to see what happens with the defender this summer, as he has three years left to run on his deal.

Xavi is likely to be more than happy to keep hold of him, so it could be up to Garcia to decide whether he wants to push for a move to a team where he would be a first-team regular at this stage of his career.

Garcia was actually used as a holding midfielder towards the end of last term, and it would not be a surprise to see him feature in that position on a more regular basis next season if he stays at the club.