Report: Barcelona want to bring Real Betis player to Camp Nou next season

With Joan Laporta assuming office today, the plans to boost the squad for next season are already underway. The latest name on the desk is Emerson Royal, currently on a loan spell at Betis. According to the ever-reliable Marcelo Bechler, the board plans to bring back the Brazilian fullback to Catalonia.

This deal’s finances are very strange; it’s reported that Barça and Betis bought the fullback together. Whoever stayed with Royal after the second year would have to pay €9 million to the other buyer. If they sell to a third club, they share 50% of the value.

The 22-year-old Brazilian fullback has been an integral part of Betis’s tactics this season. In the 23 matches he has played, he already has four assists and a goal. Over the last two seasons at Betis, he has played 67 games for them and adjusted to the Spanish style of play.

This was exactly how Barcelona planned his signing, letting Betis pay half of his fee, which allowed him to play at Betis until the end of 2020-21 season, which would prove to be a vital factor in him gaining the much-needed experience, and then bring him to Camp Nou at the start of the 2021 season by paying the other half i.e €6m and €3m more.

Ever since the departure of Dani Alves, the Catalan club have struggled to get the perfect replacement. With Dest’s arrival, things have changed, but undoubtedly it’s good to have some competition for the team’s spots.

It’s a widely known fact that things have changed course in the last two years, and presently the club finds itself in a dire situation. This means that the new board will have to spend every single penny very wisely and effectively. Mateu Alemany is expected to be the man with relevant powers to discuss his comeback to Barcelona.

Barcelona don’t have the power to sell Emerson until the summer of 2022, at which point the fee for the transaction would be split 50/50 between the Catalan giants and Betis. The agreement also allows Betis to take over the economic rights completely if Barcelona fails to trigger their option.

Given the value Emerson adds to Betis’s squad, it’s a no brainer for them to extend his stay, however, they also find themselves in a bad financial situation and will need to work wisely on what to do.