Barcelona Forward Ez Abde moves to Real Betis in permanent transfer

It was reported throughout the summer that Ez Abde may leave Barcelona this summer having returned from a season on loan at Osasuna, and yesterday it was confirmed that the Morrocan would be leaving Catalonia for Seville and Real Betis.

Barca manager Xavi had worked to keep Abde, but couldn’t guarantee the 21-year-old the same time that he craved. It’s difficult to go from playing every week while at Osasuna to only getting a handful of minutes off the bench, and it’s easy to see why Abde believed his future was away from the club.

The deal sees Real Betis pay just €7.5 million for Abde but comes with two big clauses. Barcelona have the right to buy back the player at a future date, and they also hold 50% of his rights. Meaning if Real Betis sell Abde for €40 million, then Barcelona will be entitled to €20 million of the fee.

The arrival of Felix cemented the exit of Abde

Abde started the pre-season well with a number of eye-catching performances, and he was the first man off the bench against Getafe on the opening day of the season, but the Morrocan was unable to replicate the pre-season displays in La Liga. Although he injected much-needed pace, the final product wasn’t up to the Barcelona standard, and that’s something he’ll need to work on away from the pressure that comes with playing for the current La Liga champions.

Abde is incredibly talented and Real Betis have a fine player on their hands, but with the arrival of João Félix, it was likely that Abde’s opportunities would diminish rather than increase.

At one point I thought the Barca management team might elect to keep him, especially after Ansu Fati’s loan move to Brighton was confirmed, but it seems clear that Barca is happy with their current options out wide, especially with the emergence of budding superstar Lamine Yamal.

We wish Abde all the best at Betis, and we’ll be following his progress closely as the season progresses.