Real Betis have made advances to sign Junior Firpo on a free transfer and are also keen on his Leeds United teammate, Mateo Joseph. It’s unclear whether the striker will follow the left-back to the Spanish club this summer with there being a big gap in valuation.
There could be another operation involving the two teams.
That’s according to Estadio Deportivo, who report Leeds United have expressed their interest in Real Betis’ Natan de Souza. Lazio and two other unnamed clubs are also in the picture.
The centre-back joined Manuel Pellegrini’s side on loan from Napoli last summer and his stay was made permanent via a €9m clause earlier this month.
Estadio states Leeds United, Lazio and two more clubs have made ‘formal calls’ to ask about the 24-year-old. This is one of the reasons Real Betis exercised the purchase option and gave him a contract until 2030.
They add the Andalusian club have rejected a €27m bid for the Brazilian, without specifying who made this offer. Real Betis want to retain Natan and will only change their stance if an interested party were to meet their demands.
According to Estadio, Real Betis have set a €45m price tag for the defender and none of his suitors are willing to match it. Natan is also not pushing for a transfer as he’s happy with his life in Spain.
Despite what Estadio say, if Betis are offered a bid profit on that €9m they paid then it’s hard to see them rejecting it. It’s also to believe €27m was knocked back without consideration, given the club’s need for finances to secure major targets such as Antony.
