<p>BARCELONA, Spain &mdash; Barcelona continued its low-budget remodeling by recalling Brazilian defender Emerson Royal from loan on Wednesday in the club’s third new arrival in as many days.</p>
<p>Barcelona said it exercised a clause in Emerson’s loan deal that had allowed him to play for Spanish league rival Real Betis for the past two-and-a-half years.</p>
<p>Barcelona signed Emerson from Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro in January 2019 for 12 million euros ($14.6 million) but immediately loaned him to Betis.</p>
<p>The 22-year-old right back has played as a regular starter for Betis, becoming its most-used player while providing 10 assists last season. He helped Manuel Pellegrini’s team finish sixth in the league and earn a Europa League berth.</p>
<p>Emerson has three years remaining on his Barcelona contract. He will likely compete with American Sergiño Dest and veteran Sergi Roberto for playing time.</p>
<p>The signing of Emerson comes after Barcelona announced the acquisitions of former Manchester City players Sergio Agüero and Eric García on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Both arrived without a transfer fee after finishing their contracts</p>
<p>New club president Joan Laporta is seeking to add talent to a squad that won the Copa del Rey this season but finished the Spanish league in third place and was knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16.</p>
<p>Laporta’s main goal is to convince Lionel Messi that he can give him a winning team with the Argentina star’s contract expiring at the end of this month.</p>
<p>Adding to the squad without further straining its hard-hit finances would be a bonus. Barcelona is 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in debt, making any big signings difficult.</p>
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