Football League World
·18 June 2024
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·18 June 2024
Marc Roca spent the season on loan at Real Betis following Leeds United's relegation to the Championship
Real Betis are planning negotiations with Leeds United over a permanent move for Marc Roca this summer.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, the La Liga side are keen to keep the midfielder at the club beyond his current loan spell.
The 27-year-old spent the previous campaign with the top flight club, where he made 26 appearances in the league (all stats from Fbref).
Leeds’ relegation to the Championship last year led to his temporary departure, having only just signed for the Whites the summer prior.
The failure of Daniel Farke’s team to gain promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt has raised further questions over his Elland Road future.
It is understood that missing out on promotion to the top flight means that Real Betis can secure another loan move for Roca this summer, as per the terms in his contract.
However, the Spanish side want to avoid any more uncertainty over the future of Roca by securing the player on a permanent basis.
The Leeds player impressed Manuel Pellegrini during his year on loan at the club, and the veteran coach is now willing to sanction a move to bring him from Elland Road long-term.
If an agreement cannot be reached with Leeds, then there is an acceptance that another loan move will have to be the compromise.
Roca is currently on holiday, with the Real Betis players expected back for pre-season on 8 July, giving the clubs time to sort out the terms of any potential agreement.
It remains to be seen what kind of fee Leeds would find acceptable for a permanent sale.
The Whites signed Roca from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for a fee worth a reported £10 million.
The Spaniard’s contract runs until 2026, giving Leeds some leverage in any talks over a permanent move this transfer window.
Leeds will likely be looking to negotiate the sales of multiple players in the coming weeks, with speculation persisting around the future of Crysencio Summerville.
Wilfried Gnonto is also attracting interest in the transfer window following the club’s failure to gain promotion.
It has been reported that Leeds will need to raise funds to overcome their current financial situation, so the sale of Roca could ease that burden as well.
While it is unclear what asking price the club have set for Roca, they will surely want to recoup as much of the £10 million paid to sign him as they can at the very least.
The permanent sale of Roca to Betis is a move that makes sense for all parties at this stage.
The midfielder has agreed terms with the Spanish side already, indicating his eagerness to remain with the club.
There are also no indications that Farke has any use for him in the Leeds squad, meaning his departure wouldn’t be too big of a blow to the German.
And his exit would also raise funds at a time when the Championship side need to be shedding money from the books in order to comply with the financial rules.