Real Betis President Denies Barcelona’s Interest In Midfielder: “Never Called Us”
Barcelona are serious in their pursuit of a new defensive midfielder ahead of the new season.
Top midfield target Ilkay Gundogan is one option capable of filling in the shoes of the pivot position, but the Blaugranas hope to bring in a player who is an expert in the position and can take over from Sergio Busquets in the long term.
Sofyan Ambrabat is the Catalans’ top target on that front. The Moroccan international was one of the biggest revelations in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and is seen to possess the right balance of physicality and technique.
The Blaugranas‘ fallback option is Guido Rodriguez. Barcelona have informed the Real Betis player about their interest and his entourage are said to be awaiting a green signal at the moment.
According to the latest reports from SPORT, however, Los Verdiblancos will not make Barcelona’s hunt for Rodriguez easy. Earlier in the day, the Seville-based side’s president Angel Haro spoke about the Argentine midfielder’s situation and highlighted that they wished for him to stay.
“Guido is a very important player for us, who is helping us a lot and we want him to continue doing so in the future.”
The administrator then outright denied any contact from Barcelona regarding Rodriguez’s situation, saying,
“We know what is said. Barça has never called us for Guido and we are counting on him.”
The Argentine’s contract with Real Betis runs until the summer of 2024, and there are reports that the player has slowed down talks over a renewal after Barcelona’s interest. Needless to say, the Verdiblancos will find themselves forced to place him on the market in June if the situation persists.
The 29-year-old has played in 29 of Real Betis’ 33 La Liga games this season, scoring one goal in the process. He averages close to 13 defensive actions per game and has been one of the solid pillars in Manuel Pellegrini’s setup.
