Just a few hours ago, SPORT revealed the agreement between Betis and Crystal Palace to finalize the transfer of Chadi Riad. The verbal commitment is sealed, with only the contract drafting and some final details pending before officially announcing the departure of the young Moroccan centre-back to the Premier League. While awaiting the details of the operation, the big question to answer is: why hasn’t Barça exercised the buy-back option for the player to oversee and secure a transfer that would yield more than just the simple 50% of the capital gain agreed upon by Betis?
In recent hours, this editorial has gained access to some clauses of the surprising contract that Barça and Betis signed in extremis for Chadi Riad’s departure. Both clubs publicly staged a loan deal that allowed them to circumvent the demands of LaLiga’s Javier Tebas, who did not grant Betis any leeway to seal a transfer. However, the loan operation involved a multitude of common clauses and some rather surprising ones, which now logically prevent Deco and his team from finalizing the transfer to the Premier League themselves and Barça from generating the full £15 million from the deal.
Mateu Alemany, former director of Football at Barça, negotiated with Ramón Planes, former technical secretary of Barça and shortly after, sporting director of Betis, some very peculiar conditions to allow Chadi Riad to leave Barça and develop at Betis. Initially, it was reported that the initial loan of the centre-back included the obligation to exercise Chadi’s buy-back option at the end of the 2023-24 season, valued at €3 million. So far, so normal.
However, this deferred transfer also includes different additional nuances that explain the surprising final outcome. Betis, obliged to pay the €3 million buy-back option, accepted a buy-back option for Barça in the first two seasons. In this first year, the price is €7 million. The curious thing is that Barça has waived the buy-back option, which in essence would only cost them a disbursement of €4 million – the €3 million received from Betis would need to be deducted – to lead the sale of Chadi Riad to the Premier League. The Catalan club has been aware of several English proposals for months.
Major Surprise
Sources familiar with the operation have pointed out some nuances that justify Barça’s surprising decision not to exercise the buy-back option and subsequent transfer. Apparently, the loan/transfer contract of Chadi Riad includes some additional clauses. For example, if Barça were to exercise the buy-back option, it would be obliged to pay 50% of the capital gain from a possible sale in the first season. In other words, Ramón Planes had the ability to block a buy-back by Barça to make a profit, with Mateu Alemany accepting Betis’s demand.
Hence, in the current contractual terms, although it may seem incredible, it is more profitable for Barça to receive the mandatory buy-back option from Betis and 50% of the capital gain than not to exercise the buy-back option and pay Betis the 50%.
No bonuses or future percentage
In addition to giving up leading the transfer, Barça has also been sidelined from including different future linkages, whether to recover the player or to take a slice in case of Chadi Riad’s breakthrough in the Premier League.
In the negotiation between Crystal Palace and Betis, Barça has been a mere spectator. A few weeks ago, the Catalan club did grant the necessary approval for Betis to have full authority to negotiate the transfer without any interference from Barça. That’s about it.
The English club will pay around £15 million, with no additional bonuses based on individual or collective performance, let alone a percentage of sporting rights in the event of a future transfer. Another setback that Barça once knew how to negotiate, for example, in the case of Todibo to Nice. Now, with Chadi Riad, nothing at all.
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