Betis rejected €43m for Abde. Barcelona were left empty-handed

Everton reportedly offered Real Betis €35 million plus another €8 million in bonuses for Ez Abde. The Spanish club refused because they wanted a figure closer to the player’s release clause. Barcelona could have earned as much as €8.6 million from the deal. In the end, they received the standard payment for a transfer that never happened: nothing.

Barcelona sold Abde to Betis but retained a 20 per cent sell-on interest. The idea was simple. The Moroccan would develop in Seville, attract a wealthier buyer and eventually generate another payment for his former club.

The plan came close to working. Unfortunately for Barcelona, the final decision belonged to the club that actually owned the player.

According to reports in Spain, Everton submitted an offer during the final hours of the transfer window. The proposal was said to include a guaranteed €35 million and a further €8 million in performance-related bonuses, taking its potential value to €43 million.

Betis decided that it was not enough.

Haro confirms Betis rejected an offer

Club president Ángel Haro acknowledged that Betis received a significant opportunity to sell Abde on deadline day. However, the club were unwilling to lose an important player at the end of the window for a fee well below his €60 million release clause.

“A great opportunity arose to sell Ez Abde on the final day, but we asked for the release clause,” Haro explained. “The deal did not happen, so we decided to keep the squad.”

Haro did not publicly identify Everton or disclose the exact value of the proposal. Those details have been supplied by reports in the Spanish media. His comments nevertheless confirm the central point: Betis received an offer and deliberately turned it down.

The Seville club preferred to keep the winger for a season in which they will compete in the Champions League. Betis also believe that a strong campaign could increase Abde’s value and attract better proposals in the future.

Barcelona could have collected up to €8.6m

Had Betis accepted the reported terms, Barcelona would have received a useful payment without having to sell anybody from their current squad.

Their 20 per cent interest would have been worth approximately €7 million from the guaranteed €35 million. A further €1.6 million could have followed if all the reported bonuses were activated and Everton eventually paid the full €43 million.

It would therefore be misleading to claim that Barcelona had a guaranteed €8.6 million payment taken away from them. Only €35 million was reportedly fixed, while the remaining amount depended on additional conditions. Even so, the club missed an immediate opportunity to receive several million euros from a player who left three years ago.

It was close to the perfect transaction. Betis handled the talks, Everton supplied the money and Barcelona only needed to wait for their percentage. The small complication was that Betis considered €43 million insufficient.

The percentage remains, the money does not

The episode also illustrates the limitation of a sell-on clause. Barcelona retained an economic interest in Abde, but they have no control over when he leaves or which offer Betis accepts. Their percentage only becomes useful after the player’s current club decides to sell him.

Betis chose sporting value over an immediate profit. Abde remains in Seville, Everton keep their money and Barcelona keep their 20 per cent interest in a future deal.

The arrangement may still produce a larger payment one day. Abde could enjoy an excellent season, his value could rise and another club could return with an offer closer to the €60 million clause.

For now, though, Barcelona could have received around €7 million in guaranteed income. Instead, they have retained something rather more familiar: a financial possibility that may become real at some unspecified point in the future.