Over the past few days, rumours surrounding the future of FC Barcelona youngster Ez Abde have resurfaced again.
The 21-year-old looked set to stay put at the club and play a part in Xavi’s plans in the new season, but heading into the last week of the summer window, it appears that the winger’s place is not guaranteed.
Abde has agreement with Betis, more clubs keen
And now, Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato is reporting that Abde already has an agreement in place with Barcelona’s La Liga rivals Real Betis.
The 21-year-old has been on the radars of the Verdiblancos for quite some time now but it appeared that a move to Betis was unlikely due to the fact that they are not in the healthiest of situations financially and are in need to make some sales first.
Despite that, though, it seems that Manuel Pellegrini’s side still remain in the picture due to the player’s interest in signing for them.
At the same time, though, Abde is also attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen, who are ready to shell out €20 million to sign him, while Crystal Palace in England are also keeping tabs on his situation.
What’s Barcelona’s stance?
Given that Barcelona are set to bring in Joao Cancelo and will probably try to sign Joao Felix as well, a player sale is required for them to successfully complete those operations.
And with the likes of Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres reluctant to leave, Abde could be an option for the Catalans to sacrifice, given the interest he is generating.
However, the report states that the La Liga champions are reluctant to sell the 21-year-old Moroccan international.
Building on the same, Javi Miguel of AS is reporting that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez and the rest of the coaching staff want Abde to stay as they believe he is the closest to Ousmane Dembele in terms of profile in the current squad.
As such, Xavi is willing to block the young attacker’s winger this summer and is prepared to show him that he is valued by offering him regular minutes.
At the same time, though, Barcelona could be forced into a sale due to the Fair Play situation, in which case they will seek offers of at least €30 million for Abde, which would make a move to Real Betis unlikely.
Abde’s agent is currently at the Barcelona offices, and it remains to be seen how the story develops. For now, the situation remains fully open.
