Barcelona could receive financial boost as La Liga rivals eye move for former defender

According to a report from SPORT, Real Betis are keeping close tabs on the future of Sergio Akieme. The 25-year-old former Barcelona left-back currently plies his trade with UD Almeria and is regarded as one of the club’s top targets.

Real Betis’ interest in Akieme is part of the club’s desire to reinforce their options in the left-back position as Alex Moreno is on his way to Aston Villa.

Their pursuit of the Almeria ace could be beneficial for Barcelona, who would stand to gain from the player’s potential move to Real Betis.

A native of Madrid, Akieme had a brief stint at the Barcelona youth academy when he joined the club in 2019. He played two years for the Catalans’ youth teams, before joining Almeria in 2021, in a deal worth €3.5 million.

Since then, the youngster has come a long way, becoming a regular for Almeria and racking up 88 competitive appearances for the club. His performances have not gone unnoticed, with Real Betis interested in his services.

As far as Barcelona are concerned, they had reserved a 10% sell-on fee during the negotiations with Almeria in 2021. And with the Spanish outfit valuing the player at around €12 million, Barça could end up bagging 10% of the sale.

Barça also have the first refusal option on Akieme, although they are unlikely to execute that clause.

It is fair to point out that Betis might not necessarily splash €12 million on Akieme and look at other feasible options. The likes of Fran Garcia (Rayo Vallecano), Matias Vina (AS Roma), and Manu Sanchez (Atletico Madrid, on loan at Osasuna) are also on their radar.

But given the potential Akieme has shown, Barcelona will stand to gain on any future move for the Almeria left-back.