Real Betis could move for Barcelona outcast once they complete €22 million sale

Three games into the 2023-24 campaign, the centre-back position surprisingly appears to be Xavi Hernandez’s biggest concern.

The Catalan tactician lost star-defender Ronald Araujo to injury earlier this month while new-signing Inigo Martinez is still yet to receive the medical all-clear himself.

The weekend’s game against Villarreal saw Andreas Christensen face discomfort as well, leaving the manager with few options in defence.

One player who continues to stay out of Xavi’s plans despite the setbacks is Clement Lenglet. The Frenchman, in theory, can serve as a backup centre-back for the team but is far from earning the manager’s trust.

Barcelona see an exit to be the best solution given Lenglet’s situation, and Real Betis have emerged as contenders in recent days.

The important condition

According to reports from SPORT, the defender’s move to Real Betis is dependent on Los Verdiblancos’ operation involving Luiz Felipe.

The Seville-based side are finalising the defender’s move to Al-Ittihad in a deal worth €22 million plus €4 million in variables. The space and funds created by the player’s exit will be used to incorporate Lenglet.

All eyes are thus on the negotiations with the Saudi Arabian club. If Real Betis pull off the deal, Barcelona can be relatively sure of having found their defender his next home.

The economics of the Frenchman’s departure

Barcelona have been negotiating Lenglet’s exit for a while now, with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Al Nassr taking interest in his signing.

However, talks did not progress to completion owing to multiple factors such as a difference in the valuation of the player between Barcelona and interested parties and the player’s unwillingness to move out of Europe.

Lenglet’s former club Sevilla are also taking big steps towards his signing, but Real Betis could beat them to the punch if they finalise Felipe’s sale to Saudi Arabia.

If Betis make the sale worth €22 million, they can potentially meet the Catalans’ asking price of €15 million. However, it is still unsure if Lenglet will leave on loan or a permanent transfer.

Further, there is no clarity on how his €8 million net salary will be split if he moves out on loan.