Barcelona ready to recall Real Betis’ Chadi Riad next summer
Barcelona are ready to trigger Chadi Riad’s €7 million buy-back clause, as they want to bring the defender back to the club.
Riad currently plays for Real Betis, as they signed him from Barcelona on loan in the summer with an option to buy for €3.5 million.
According to Sport and Fabrizio Romano, the loan agreement also stipulated that if he played a certain number of games for Betis, the buy option would be trigged, which has already reached.
Barcelona have a €7 million buy-back option in the contract, and according to the reports, they are prepared to trigger it next summer.
After finishing his season with Betis, the Moroccan defender will return to Barca. He has already made 15 appearances for the club and received his first call-up to the Moroccan national team.
Several European clubs wanted to sign the La Masia defender, but Barcelona informed the club and the player about their decision.
Barcelona’s struggle in defense this season
The La Liga champions currently sit 4th in the table, seven points behind Real Madrid. Moreover, they have also conceded 21 goals this season, one more than they conceded in the entirety of the last season.
League leaders Real Madrid have conceded only 11 goals this campaign. The level of center-backs like Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen has dropped significantly this season.
Furthermore, Xavi has also preferred to partner Ronald Araujo with Inigo Martinez this season.
Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen to be sold?
If Chadi Riad impresses’ the club for the rest of the season, they will activate the buy-back clause for him. So, Barcelona plans to sell one or two center-backs in the summer.
Inigo Martinez cannot be sold, as he won’t be able to bring in more money due to his age. However, Kounde and Christensen can be sold to generate money.
The club will also listen to offers for Eric Garcia, who plays for Girona on loan. Riad will also have a much lower salary than these three defenders.
