The Daily Express claim Real Betis have now opened talks to sign Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca ahead of a summer switch back to his home country – with the Whites now closing in on relegation back to the Championship.
Roca, 26, has endured a tricky campaign in which he has been largely first choice – starting 29 of our 37 Premier League games. Under Sam Allardyce, he has been reduced to the bench in the last two. Unused against Newcastle.
Bought for £10m from Bayern Munich last summer, there was plenty of hype surrounding Roca – given he had come from the German champions. He has failed to live up to that, with question marks over his ability to finish a game.
His best form came under Jesse Marsch but he rarely finished an entire match – starting 19 of 20 League games this term under Marsch, he completed 90 minutes four times. Injury to Tyler Adams has seen him finish matches.
Betis open talks to sign Leeds midfielder Roca ahead of summer switch
But it is that period in which his form has dipped. Estadio Deportivo reported today that Betis are keen on a move to sign Roca and have kept tabs on him for a while. The report states Roca is keen on joining Betis, who sit in sixth.
With three La Liga matches left to play, Betis look good for a Europa League spot – sitting six above Marcelo Bielsa’s old side Bilbao, who occupy the Conference League spot in seventh. Roca could be playing Europa League football.
The Express now state that Betis have opened talks with Roca’s representatives over a move to take him back to Spain – three years after leaving Espanyol to join Bayern in 2020. A move looks good to go, especially if we go down.
