Barcelona's urgent sale of Casado rejected by Atletico while Betis becomes potential suitor

Barcelona is pushing to sell Casado before June 30, but Atletico Madrid has rejected the offer, making Real Betis a potential destination.

Barcelona is trying to monetize Marc Casado before the fiscal year-end on June 30. His and Fati's departures were supposed to supplement the club's accounts to balance this fiscal year's budget, but the young Barcelona academy product is in no hurry. If he must leave, he wants to make a well-considered decision and is weighing offers he finds more attractive. Atletico Madrid was previously one of his options, but the Rojiblancos have now rejected the possibility of signing him as they have other priority transfer targets.

Casado's agent, Mendes, had previously met with Atletico Madrid's football director Alemany to put Casado's name on the table. However, Atletico Madrid's response has not been positive so far. On the one hand, the Rojiblancos do not want to package other players as bargaining chips in any potential future negotiations concerning Alvarez; on the other hand, from a sporting perspective, the midfielder does not fully meet the team's needs for various reasons.

Casado was indeed highly favored by Atletico Madrid previously, but the club has made other investments in the midfield position. In January, Atletico Madrid spent heavily to sign Rodrigo Mendoza from Elche and also brought in Obed Vargas from MLS. With Nicolas Gonzalez, Koke, and Pablo Barrios also occupying this position, Atletico Madrid's midfield setup for the new season is already extremely redundant.

Unless Atletico Madrid decides to sell one of the aforementioned players, Casado will have to continue waiting, but this seems unlikely at present. Atletico Madrid did show strong interest in Bernal previously, but for Barcelona, Bernal is absolutely not for sale and has a release clause protection in his contract, so Barcelona will not engage in any negotiations for him.

Faced with this situation, Mendes is looking for other ideal destinations for him in Europe, while also holding the trump card of Saudi Al-Hilal – although this offer is extremely tempting financially, it has not fully convinced Casado from a sporting development perspective. Casado wants a plan that 100% recognizes him and is willing to build around him, making him feel important, and most importantly, he needs a coach who truly trusts his playing style.

Against this backdrop, an opportunity awaits him. Real Betis is indeed very interested in Casado, but they find it financially difficult to directly absorb this deal. Barcelona's minimum asking price for Casado is 20 million euros, and the Green and Whites can only buy a percentage of his ownership if they sell existing players. Altamira is currently on the transfer market (Leipzig and Sporting CP have made offers), and his departure could create space for Real Betis. For Casado, this plan is indeed very attractive from a sporting perspective, as he would not only play in the Champions League but also receive coaching assurance from manager Pellegrini.