On Monday, FC Barcelona officially announced an agreement with Clement Lenglet to terminate the two years remaining on his contract, following which he signed for Atletico Madrid on a free transfer.
Lenglet spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Atletico Madrid and has now joined them permanently.
Even though Barcelona did not receive any transfer fee for the experienced defender, his exit is set to come as a major boost for the La Liga champions in terms of Financial Fair Play margin.
As reported by Mundo Deportivo , Lenglet's exit could allow Barcelona to reclaim up to €6.4M gross per season in terms of salary space.
Lenglet's contract with the Blaugrana initially ran up until 2026 but prior to his loan exit last summer, the club extended it by another year until 2027 to distribute his salary across three years.
Lenglet was originally on a salary of approximately €16 million per year gross totalling €32 million.
The revised agreement extended the contract by one additional season while distributing that €32 million across three years. This reduced his annual gross earnings to €10.6 million (€5.3 million net).
Lenglet left Barcelona for Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
With Barcelona not operating on the 1:1 Fair Play rule – having lost that status in April – they can retain 60% of the combined savings from Lenglet's wages and amortisation.
Although the deal brings no direct income for Barça, since the player was released on a free transfer, it does generate substantial savings in salary and amortisation.
Using the adjusted €10.6 million gross annual figure, Lenglet's departure frees up approximately €6.4 million gross per season, or €12.8 million over the remaining two years of his contract.
This figure could rise depending on the overall wage structure of the first team. Indeed, If Lenglet's salary represented 5% or more of the total first-team wage bill, he would be classified as a "franchise player" under La Liga rules.
In such cases, the club is entitled to retain up to 70% of the salary savings.
That would mean a maximum relief of €7.4 million gross per season, or €14.8 million in total, from Lenglet's exit – pending final review and approval by La Liga once Barcelona submit formal documentation of the contract termination and his move to Atletico Madrid.
