Barcelona: Betis deny Emerson clause despite Abidal's claims
The Barcelona sporting director said that the Camp Nou can avail themselves of the Brazil international before 2021, which Betis said is not the case.
Barcelona sporting director Éric Abidal has claimed the Camp Nou can acquire Betis and Brazil full back Emerson before 2021, a possibility that Betis have denied. Emerson joined the Andalusian side in January 2019 in a joint deal that saw Barça pay half of the player’s €12.7m transfer fee to Atlético Mineiro with an option to buy out Betis’ half of Emerson’s rights for €6m in 2021.
However, the 21-year-old’s form for Betis this season, in which he has scored three goals and provided five assists, has led Barcelona to look into the possibility of bringing him to Camp Nou earlier, which has not gone down well at the Benito Villamarín.
Abidal said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo that Barça could buy Emerson for a fee of between €12m and €15m at any time, stating that: “Emerson is a player we have the option of picking up whenever we want. He is doing very well at Betis and he is a player for the future of Barcelona. We have a small but strong squad, with two full backs, but we know that the future is already there.”
Betis not willing to let Emerson move before 2021
Betis assistant director of football, Alexis Trujillo, gave a different view of the situation: “There is absolutely no possibility of Barça getting him earlier; there is no clause that says anything of the sort.”
Barcelona travel to Betis on Sunday after being knocked out of the Copa del Rey in midweek by Athletic Bilbao and trail leaders Real Madrid by three points. The Camp Nou board are currently trying to find an emergency striker to replace Luis Suárez with the Uruguayan out until at least April and Ousmane Dembélé out for the season with a torn thigh muscle.