Barcelona lose priority option on Moroccan winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli

FC Barcelona have lost their priority option to re-sign Moroccan winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli after a contractual restructuring with Real Betis significantly changed the balance of control over the player’s future.

The Catalan club had been closely monitoring the Moroccan international following his impressive performances with Betis this season, but recent developments linked to the transfer situation involving Brazilian forward Vitor Roque have weakened Barcelona’s position.

According to reports from Spanish newspaper AS, Barcelona agreed to modify the original terms surrounding Ezzalzouli’s transfer to Betis as part of negotiations aimed at resolving issues connected to Roque’s loan situation and facilitating his departure.

When Ezzalzouli initially joined the Seville-based club for €7.5 million, Barcelona retained 50% of the player’s economic rights.

That arrangement gave the Spanish champions considerable leverage over any future transfer involving the Moroccan winger and preserved a strategic advantage should they wish to bring him back to Camp Nou.

However, the latest agreement between the two clubs altered that structure significantly. In order to ease negotiations related to Vitor Roque, Barcelona reportedly handed an additional 30% of Ezzalzouli’s rights to Betis.

As a result, Barcelona now own only 20% of the Moroccan player’s rights, a reduction that also removes their previous priority option regarding a potential return.

The change leaves the Catalan side without one of the key mechanisms they could have used to regain control of the player’s future.

The development represents a major shift in power toward Betis, who are now in a far stronger negotiating position ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

After an impressive campaign from Ezzalzouli, the Andalusian club can now independently assess any incoming offers and negotiate from a position of strength without Barcelona holding decisive influence over the outcome.

The situation also marks another important chapter in the evolving relationship between the two Spanish clubs, with the Vitor Roque negotiations having broader consequences beyond the Brazilian striker’s own future.

For Barcelona, the contractual adjustment means any future attempt to bring the Moroccan international back to the club could now prove significantly more complicated than originally expected.