Real Betis are closing in on the marquee signing of Montpellier’s Ryad Boudebouz despite a late attempt to sign him from Besiktas, say reports.
Estadio Deportivo cites a report in Algerian newspaper El Moujahid that the playmaker has chosen Los Verdiblancos as he wants to play in a major European league.
The Algerian international has also had interest from West Ham United and Bayer Leverkusen but the persistence of Betis is said to have been key in negotiations.
However, the late interest in Boudebouz has reportedly pushed his asking price up from €8.5m to €10m but the Seville-based club are prepared to make a relative significant outlay for his services.
The 27-year-old starred in Ligue 1 last season, netting 11 times and he could be utilised as the primary replacement for Dani Ceballos, who joined Real Madrid last month.
The move would come after deals for Mario Pasalic, Sergio Canales and Gaston Ramirez all fell through.
Negotiations have slowed until Montpellier officially appoint Laurent Nicollin as president following the death of his father Louis last month, but the relationship between the clubs is strong following the transfer of Jonas Martin last season.
