Real Betis have rejected an offer for midfielder Benat, whilst former captain Iriney has left the club for Granada.

Real Betis have declined an offer close to €9million for sought-after midfielder Beñat Etxebarria.  The offer, according to ABC de Sevilla, has come from Russian giants Spartak Moscow who are now managed by ex-Valencia boss Unai Emery. 

Betis are certainly not in any rush to do a deal for their most influential player and club president Miguel Guillén has stated that Betis will not consider any offers that they don’t consider to be ‘attractive’, which tells us that if Beñat were to leave this summer it would be more towards the €20milllion release clause mark. 

Beñat will also have a say if he does depart and he will not be too tempted with the offer from Russia. 

ABC de Sevilla ran a poll, ‘would you have sold Beñat for €9million?’ – a fairly unanimous 89% said they would not sell him, confirming his popularity among Béticos despite the debt problems of the club.

The Beñat scenario still remains firmly open, particularly with recent interest from newly crowned Serie A champions Juventus and continued interest from Beñat’s home club Athletic Bilbao, who would be the number one choice for the midfielder.

The player returned to the club for the start of pre-season training this week. Guillén also confirmed they have had interest for club Pichichi Rubén Castro but have received no offers.  

Meanwhile, out-of-contract Real Betis captain, Iriney Santos, has left the club in favour of fellow Andalucian team, Granada. 

Combative midfielder Iriney has been out-of-contract since the 30 June 2012 and it has been widely speculated that he will leave the club due to the two parties being unable to reach an agreement on the player’s wages.  Due to the strained financial situation at Betis, Iriney would have had to slash his wages by half to around €400,000 a year if he wanted to remain a Bético. 

The 31-year old joins Granada on a three-year contract and will be one of the highest earners at the club. 

Iriney joined Betis after the club was relegated from La Primera in 2009 and quickly became a fans favourite due to his aggressive, heart-on-his-sleeve approach helping Betis return to the top-flight of Spanish football after two seasons in La Segunda. 

Iriney made 100 appearances for los verdiblancos, scoring three goals.

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