Football: pounds 22m deal set up for Denilson

The Brazilian prodigy, Denilson, was reported yesterday to have signed for the Spanish side, Real Betis, in what would be a world record transfer deal worth pounds 22m.

The 20-year-old Sao Paulo striker has been lined up to join Betis after the World Cup finals next year in a deal that will surpass Ronaldo's transfer to Internazionale from Barcelona, which is expected to be worth around pounds 18m when negotiations have been resolved.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect to the mooted deal is the size of the buy-out clause the Spaniards will insert into the contract - pounds 260m. This dwarfs the pounds 91m clause set by Real Madrid for their Dutch midfielder, Clarence Seedorf, this week.

The Betis president, Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, said yesterday that he had reached agreement with Sao Paulo over the fee and that Denilson would be signing an 11-year contract.

"We worked very hard to get it, but now we can give all the Betis fans something to celebrate," he said.

Manchester United and Tottenham were reported to be looking at Denilson, who played briefly against England in Le Tournoi in France during the summer. He also played a key role in the Brazilian side that won the Copa America in June.

The player has also been linked with Betis for several months, though Lazio and Real Madrid have also expressed an interest in him. He will not be available to play for the Seville side until after the 1998 World Cup, with Betis loaning him back to Sao Paulo for the coming season as part of the deal.