Crystal Palace’s late interest in Ez Abde comes with a problem, as Real Betis are unlikely to make his exit easy.
The Eagles have appeared right at the end of the window after Newcastle United and Aston Villa spent much of the summer linked with the winger.
Neither of those two clubs made a deal happen. Both eventually moved towards other options, leaving Palace with a late opportunity to try their luck.
Estadio Deportivo now provide the view from Seville on what it would take to get Abde out of Betis.
Palace may have to get close to €60m
Abde remains under contract with Betis until June 2029 and has a €60m (£51.9m) release clause. And there is another important factor for the Spanish club: Barcelona are entitled to 20% of any future transfer fee.
Estadio Deportivo therefore believe a buyer would have to get reasonably close to that €60m (£51.9m) figure to convince Betis to sell.
That makes Palace’s late interest a bit more complicated. Betis do need to bring money in before the window closes. Their sporting director, Manu Fajardo, is still trying to make room for further business.
The Spanish club want to strengthen Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield, with a defensive midfielder among the manager’s requests. Of course a sale would help them do that. The problem is deciding who they are prepared to lose.
Pellegrini doesn’t want Betis weakened
Pellegrini has already publicly warned against completing sales which would leave his squad weaker.
“We don’t want it to weaken us,” the Betis manager said when discussing potential departures.
Estadio Deportivo explain that the club would prefer to raise money through other players. Pablo García, Nelson Deossa and Gonzalo Petit are among the exits they would rather complete. That makes Abde a much more painful option, particularly this close to the deadline.
The Morocco international is also working his way back after the knee sprain which kept him out of the 2026 World Cup. He recently returned to the squad for the trip to Levante.
Palace have therefore arrived at an awkward moment for Betis. The Spanish side could use a sizeable sale to unlock their own transfer plans. At the same time, they don’t want to lose an important player without enough time to properly replace him.
Newcastle and Aston Villa never managed to turn their interest into a transfer earlier this summer. If Palace want a different outcome in the final hours, Estadio Deportivo’s information suggests it could require a very significant offer.
