Barcelona and Real Betis are to sign Atletico Mineiro right-back Emerson in a joint deal, according to reports in Brazil and Spain.
It is claimed that the 19-year-old Brazilian will join Betis on loan until the end of the season, with the Seville-based club and Barca each paying half of the €12m transfer.
The defender will feature for the Andalusian side for the rest of the 2018-19 campaign and, as a non-EU player, he would currently be unable to play for Barcelona anyway.
But, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans will assess his adaptation in LaLiga and have an option to buy the right-back from Betis for €9m over the next two seasons.
Emerson was watched by Barca’s sporting director Eric Abidal in action for Atletico against Gremio on November 3 as part of a scouting mission to view a number of possible targets.
The youngster, who has made only a handful of appearances in Brazil’s Serie A, will travel to Spain after the South American Under-20 tournament, which is currently taking place in Chile and concludes on February 10.
