Maccabi Tel Aviv and Elche Make Progress on Roy Revivo Transfer Deal

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Spanish club Elche have advanced in negotiations over the transfer of Israeli national team defender Roy Revivo. Elche has submitted an official offer of 3.3 million euros for Revivo, who is eager to leave Israel immediately and follow in the footsteps of his father, Haim Revivo, who played four years in La Liga with Celta Vigo. Elche proposes to pay the transfer fee in three installments, but two main issues remain unresolved: the 15% commission owed to Revivo from the transfer fee, amounting to about half a million euros gross, and a demand to increase the percentage from any future sale of the player. Maccabi is willing to release Revivo immediately if the financial terms are met, but either Revivo must waive his commission or Elche must cover it.

Revivo himself refused to travel with Maccabi to Batumi for their Europa League qualifier against CSKA Sofia on June 8, which ended in a 3-0 defeat. It is expected that if he is not released before the return leg in Bulgaria next week, he will not be part of the squad. Maccabi is already searching for a foreign left-back replacement, with Shahar Rozen and Noam Ben Harush filling in recently. Another player likely to leave is Tyrese Asante, who missed a recent match citing illness.

Maccabi Tel Aviv expressed disappointment following the heavy loss to CSKA Sofia, which severely jeopardizes their chances of reaching the Europa League group stage after qualifying in the past two seasons. Coach Kenny Miller attributed the defeat to poor preparation, weak game management, and unusual internal decisions, including leaving Revivo behind in Israel. Miller noted the team lost too many personal battles and gave away possession cheaply, saying, "We did not show our best version and it is never easy to play without fans, but that was the situation for both teams."