On Monday, Mundo Deportivo reported Aston Villa are very close to closing a deal for Álex Moreno and Real Betis are already looking for his successor in the winter market.
The La Liga side will face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Estadio Deportivo state Betis asked Manuel Pellegrini to leave the left-back out of the squad as they are close to finalising an agreement with Aston Villa. They have also asked the 29-year-old’s agent to define all the points of the deal with the English club.
Moreno is set to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Villans and will almost ‘triple his salary’.
If nothing goes wrong, his transfer to the Premier League side will be closed this week, with the fullback ‘imminently receiving permission’ to travel to England. The defender’s medical tests must be completed between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Aston Villa and Betis already have an agreement in principle, subject to an agreement on the payment methods. The latter decided to significantly lower their demands in exchange for Unai Emery’s side paying in cash and raising the fixed fee.
Reports have said the Premier League side will pay €13.5m plus €1.5m bonuses. However, ED explain Aston Villa have agreed to pay €15m plus €2m bonuses, out of which €1m is relatively easy to achieve.
