Barcelona winger Abde Ezzalzouli has reportedly agreed to join Real Betis on Deadline Day despite a late hijack attempt from Aston Villa and previous contact from Liverpool.

Fabrizio Romano reports Betis are “closing in” on the signing of Abde on a permanent transfer, with the typical ‘here we go’ slogan set to be published imminently.

This crucial update follows reports in Spain that Unai Emery made a last-ditch attempt to convince Abde to come to Villa instead, while Monchi negotiated with Barça.

Liverpool, meanwhile, were credited with interest earlier in the week as the Reds were said to have made contact with the Catalan giants to enquire about his availability.

With time running out before the transfer deadline, it appears Villa will fail to replace Philippe Coutinho, who is set to depart for Al Duhail after terms were agreed with the player and both clubs.