Real Betis may be looking at another austere summer this year, with results collapsing in recent weeks. Should Los Verdiblancos fail to qualify for Europe this season, their drop in income could be forced into making a painful sale this summer.
The plan is to sell Nabil Fekir, who has two years left on his deal and a release clause of €20m, as per Diario AS. Initially they had hoped for some interest from Saudi Arabia, but increasingly there doubts about what kind of market Fekir has. Since coming back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he has looked much less effective, and there are calls for the French international to be benched. In addition, finding a suitor to pay both his fee and match his €8m wages looks a tall task.
The alternative could be to sell Isco. Their star player this season, and recruited on a free, he extended his deal for another two years, but there were sides already willing to pay his €10m release clause that was active before his new deal. That said, Isco is happy in Seville, and only an ‘astronomical’ offer from the Middle East could potentially sway his mind.
In recent summers Manuel Pellegrini has lost key players such as Luiz Felipe, Alex Moreno and Sergio Canales, and there is certainly a fear that the need to balance accounts could make European qualification too tricky a task. The emergence of Girona this year is certainly threatening that, but next season again that prospect is very real should Isco depart.
