Barcelona hoping for €12m income as Premier League side moves for defender | OneFootball

Barcelona may be closing in on their first income of the transfer window, as Real Betis defender Chadi Riad looks set for a move to the Premier League.

The 20-year-old defender became a starter swiftly at Betis this season, winning over Manuel Pellegrini. He moved on loan from Barcelona last summer, with a €7.5m buyback clause if Betis execute their €3m buy clause. It had looked as if the Blaugrana would activate their option, with Betis all but guaranteed to make the deal permanent if possible.

Now it looks as if he could be on his way to the Premier League though, with Riad ‘one step away’ from a move to Crystal Palace, as per Sport. Barcelona will see the €3m from Betis plus 50% of any fee, due to a sell-on clause. Palace are due to spend €18m on Riad, with some variables on top of that, which would guarantee Barcelona a further €9m if the deal went through.

It creates a concerning scenario for Pellegrini and Betis, with German Pezzella’s future also up in the air, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos set to retire at the end of the year, leaving only Marc Bartra in the squad next season. Barcelona will no doubt be grateful for the income, and have plenty in their own central defender reserves to compete for spots next season as it is.