Real Betis have presented their first signing of the summer, after it was confirmed that Romain Perraud would be joining from Southampton in a reported €3.5m deal. The French left-back is the first of at least two Los Verdiblancos will be seeking in the position, with both Abner Vinicius and Juan Miranda leaving the club.
Perraud, 26, spent last season on loan from Southampton at Nice, where he featured fleetingly. He came through the system at Nice, but made his name at Paris FC and Brest before a €12m move to the South Coast of England. During his two seasons there, he struggled to win a spot in the starting team though.
Sporting Director Manu Fajardo told Diario AS that ex-Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa had been offered to them, but he was one of many. Meanwhile he did not seem optimistic about their chances of bringing back Giovani Lo Celso from Tottenham Hotspur.
“Today he is a Tottenham player and has a valid contract. He is a high-level player with a past in green and white. He is a remote option for Betis.”
📸🪩💫
𝑫𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒄. pic.twitter.com/CMiBWM3mRk
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) June 24, 2024
Meanwhile it was suspected that neither of Juan Miranda or Guido Rodriguez would end up renewing their contracts, and Fajardo closed the case defintively during Perraud’s presentation.
“I believe that in both cases there were negotiations and the offers were not accepted. They haven’t signed with another club yet, but right now there is nothing open, there doesn’t seem to be a chance for them to play for this club. We will thank them and wish them luck.”
#RealBetis have made their first signing of the summer, announcing a deal for Southampton left-back Romain Perraud. pic.twitter.com/TzZeldNzdS
— Football España (@footballespana_) June 25, 2024
Another of the positions Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate to strengthen this summer is centre-back; Sokratis Papastathopoulos is retiring from the game, and Chadi Riad has been sold to Crystal Palace for €15m. Relevo say that their top target for the position is Leeds United’s Diego Llorente. The 30-year-old Spain international has spent the last season on loan at Roma, and if Betis do want to sign him, they will have to fight off competition from the Giallorossi. They are looking more at a loan deal though.
Betis are close to closing a deal for Marc Roca to join permanently from Leeds for €4.5m, but also have their eyes on other central defenders. The key one mentioned is Internacional’s Vitao, who they have been in talks over for several weeks.
