Luiz Felipe and Mendy, at Rayo with an eye on Betis

Each case has its particularities. Mendy’s is simpler but given his impact at the start of the season, the endings could be different. The fact is that after an intense summer in which Betis negotiated his transfer or loan on three different fronts, with unsuccessful moves towards PSV Eindhoven or Glasgow Rangersthe left-handed central defender on loan to Rayo is almost desperate to get minutes in the elite given that Betis had considered that he did not fit into the plans for this campaign with the incorporation of Valentin Gomez. At 21, Mendy wanted to try his luck in the First Division and joined Vallecas on loan for a campaign with a purchase clause of three million for 80 percent of its rights. This amount, in any case, is increased by a series of variables up to five million, which would be the amount that the Rayistas would pay Betis if they were convinced of their signing. This may be the Greens and Whites’ first income for a player who costs just under €1 million and the idea of ​​retaining 20 percent of his rights for a later deal makes sense.

Mendy has attracted a lot of attention for his physical power and many scouts already have his name highly rated, which benefits Betis. Pellegrini He made his Cup debut against Alavés and last season he had a good performance against Fiorentina in the second leg of the Conference semi-finals but he barely had any continuity and his departure was decided as he was an injury-prone player. This season he played seven matches and scored one goal.

Return to Heliopolis possible

While, Luis Felipe He left Betis in September 2023 after one season as a green and white player and headed to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in exchange for 23 million euros. A total added value given that he had arrived in Heliópolis as a free agent. In the Saudi league he did not adapt well and at the start of the 24-25 he found himself without a record, so he processed his departure just a year ago to be free again but with an express condition: he will not be able to return to Betis before 2026. He went to Marseille Olympic But he played little and this summer he signed for Rayo, refusing an approach from Sevilla after a call from Antonio Cordón. Now, in January, he could return to Betis, avoiding the huge fine imposed by Al-Ittihad if he does not comply, but he has a contract at Vallecas until the end of the season. The Italian-Brazilian took him as a transition team to be able to resume activities after a blank year and have the possibility of returning to Betis. In fact, the green and white club had offered him this summer to come to Seville and train without a record while waiting for the January market, but the best thing for the player was to compete again and that is what he did.

Today, Luiz Felipe had an inconsistent start to the campaign as he played in the first four La Liga games but suffered a muscle injury which ruled him out of the following ones. He returned at the beginning of December and played three more duels and He stood out during the victory of the Madrid team against Jagiellonia in the Conferencedrying Pululu. He will now play for the first time against Betis and he does it looking both at the present and the future since his dream is to wear the green and white jersey again. In Heliópolis they foresee changes in the near future in the center of defense with the experience of Bartra and Llorente and the market prospects for Natan and Valentín. Luiz Felipe, at 28 years old, is an option for the future if he returns to the level he had when he shone during the 2022-23 campaign.