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Real Betis may not be able to afford to seal Marc Roca transfer from Leeds United
Real Betis may not be able to afford their option to buy Leeds United loanee Marc Roca at the end of the season, according to Andrew Millar.
The La Liga analyst told Leeds Live on Wednesday (18 October) that the strict financial situation at the Spanish club could see them struggle to meet the £10.4million option to buy.
Roca has impressed in Manuel Pellegrini’s side so far this season, starting 10 of their 11 matches and has impressed the former Manchester City boss who has repeatedly spoken highly of the 26-year-old and Betis would be “delighted” to make the deal permanent.
With Betis also competing in the Europa League this season, the Leeds loanee is expected to continue to play a key role throughout the remainder of the campaign, having established himself as a consistent starter alongside Guido Rodriguez in William Carvalho’s absence.
Could be a deal
It will be interesting to see how Leeds United approach this situation when the end of the season rolls around, as it is clear that Real Betis currently would be very keen to attempt to find a solution to turn Roca’s time in Spain into a permanent move.
The 26-year-old is reportedly also very happy with the La Liga club and has made clear his desire to permanently exit Elland Road, having struggled to make an impact in the Premier League having arrived from Bayern Munich last season [TEAMTalk, 2 October].
Leeds are well stocked in the middle of the park currently, with Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara and Archie Gray all impressing in the Championship, while Ilia Gruev is still finding his feet in English football having made the switch from Werder Bremen this summer.
When the season ends, should Roca still want to leave Leeds permanently, there may be a deal that can be struck between Farke’s side and Betis, but the Whites are unlikely to go much lower than their original £10.4 million price considering they paid £10 million in 2022 to sign the Spaniard on a four-year contract [Sky Sports].
Arguably, should he continue to impress in Pellegrini’s side for the remainder of the season, his value should only rise, given he will have another season of top-flight football under his belt and there is every chance Leeds could sell him to another team for a bigger fee.
In other Leeds United news, David Prutton has named the area in which Georginio Rutter must improve after he made the Sky Sports team of the season