Aissa Mandi has hit a standstill in talks over a new contract at Real Betis with the reported Newcastle United and Liverpool target due to become a free agent in 2021, according to Marca.
With the global health crisis flipping the footballing world on it’s axis, the Verdiblancos have plenty of reasons to bemoan the hand they have been dealt.
Three months ago, it seemed only a matter of time before Algerian international Mandi was putting pen to paper on fresh terms at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Now, however, everything is up in the air with no solution in sight.
As Marca point out, Betis cannot afford to offer Mandi the sort of wages they were willing to pay him back in February, with money drying up in Andalusia.
As a result, talks over a new deal have clattered into the buffers. With clubs in La Liga hit hard by the financial crisis, Real Betis may be forced to sell Mandi for a reduced fee this summer – or risk losing him for absolutely nothing 12 months on.
One man’s misery is another’s misfortune, as the old saying goes.
Both Liverpool and Newcastle will be watching proceedings like a hawk, with Estadio Deportivo pointing out recently that they have identified Mandi, who has a £25 million release clause in his contract, as a summer target.
Estadio Deportivo had suggested that the former Reims stopper was increasingly tempted to try his hand in another major European league after four years in Spain.
At the age of 28, he is approaching his peak after all and a move to Liverpool doesn’t come around too often.
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