Real Betis keen on Lyon’s Houssem Aouar this summer

Real Betis will push to sign Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Houssem Aouar on a free transfer this summer, according to Estadio Deportivo.

Aouar has only made one appearance this season as punishment for refusing to renew his contract with the club.

Not even Lucas Paqueta’s departure to West Ham, which opened a gap for him in midfield, has not allowed him to play.

Betis tried to sign Aouar this summer but failed to reach an agreement with Lyon for the 24-year-old. Betis did not have the financial means to meet Lyon’s €15 million valuation of Aouar.

Los Verdiblancos will reportedly return for Aouar, and they are keen to sign him for free when his contract expires this summer.

It looks more certain that Aouar will not sign a contract extension with his childhood club. The club wanted to offer the player a new contract due to his continuous professional behaviour in training.

The club ostracised Aouar, but he has been professional in his duties despite seeking his move.

Aouar’s transfer situation was one of the topics of the summer transfer window. He was close to leaving the club during the just-closed transfer window.

Lyon was also open to selling with only a year left on his current deal, but no suitable offer came through.

Aouar had strong interest from Nottingham Forest, but Lyon rejected their €10m bid. Benfica also enquired about the player, but their interest never materialised in a transfer.

Leicester City showed interest in the player in preparation for the departure of Youri Tielemans, but the Belgian is still with the Foxes.

Betis could take Aouar for free, and he will nestle in nicely at the club. He can take Sergio Canales’ place behind the striker in Manuel Pellegrini’s 4-2-3-1.

He can also pair one of Guido Rodriguez, William Carvalho, Andres Guardado, and Paul Akouokou in the midfield pivot.

Betis already showed an appreciation for Lyon’s famed production pipeline. They paid around €29.75 million to sign former Lyon captain Nabil Fekir in 2019.

They could repeat the trick for free this time around.