Real Betis interested in poaching second forward from Barcelona amid financial issues | OneFootball

Real Betis have a significant number of ex-Barcelona players amongst their ranks, with a fluid passage of footballers between Catalonia and Seville opening up in recent years. They are looking to increase that quota in January.

According to Sport, Real Betis are interested in former Girona forward Pau Victor. The 22-year-old’s well-liked by the Betis scouting department due to his versatility, ability to link with teammates and goalscoring instinct.

Barcelona are unlikely to let him go though. They will only consider an exit if Victor asks to leave, and he only intends to depart if the club insist on an exit. All the same, Betis want to do all they can to convince him of a move before turning their attentions elsewhere, and will sell him on the idea of an increased role at the Benito Villamarin.

Victor has scored twice and given an assist in his 187 minutes so far, which are few and far between, but he was conscious ahead of the season that game time would be hard to come by. Another factor that impedes the deal is the fact that even though Barcelona are struggling to register Victor for the second half of the season, Betis themselves have little margin in their salary limit. They would only be able to front a loan deal, taking away much financial incentive for Barcelona.

Betis could be aided by potential departures in January though too. Second-choice goalkeeper Fran Vieites will be allowed to look for pastures new, and forward Juanmi has failed to resolve his disagreements with manager Manuel Pellegrini. He is almost certain to leave in the winter transfer window, report MD.