Irish striker Parrott on brink of Real Betis move

Senior football correspondentPublished12 minutes agoReal Betis are in advanced talks with AZ Alkmaar over a 20m euros (£17.1m) deal to sign Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott.

It is understood an agreement between the Dutch club Alkmaar and Spain's Betis is now close.

West Ham had been heavily linked with a move for the 24-year-old forward, who began his career at Tottenham.

Parrott joined Alkmaar in July 2024 from Spurs, having spent the previous season on loan at another Dutch club, Excelsior Rotterdam.

He began last season in prolific form, scoring 10 goals in his first seven appearances but a knee ligament injury sustained at the end of August kept him out of action until October.

Parrot ended the Dutch league season with 16 goals in 28 games and he also shone on the international stage as he helped the Republic of Ireland secure qualification for the World Cup play-offs.

In November last year he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Portugal and three days later added a hat-trick, including a 96th-minute winner, in a 3-2 win away to Hungary.

In doing so, Parrott became the first Republic of Ireland player to score a hat-trick in an away game for the men's team and the first Irish player to score a competitive treble for the men's team since Robbie Keane in 2014.

The forward, capped 37 times, is again set to be a pivotal player for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side in the forthcoming Nations League in which the Irish will face Kosovo, Austria and Israel in Group B3.

Real Betis finished fifth in La Liga in the 2025-26 season, meaning that they qualified for the Champions League.