Tottenham Hotspur continue to look like they’ll lose out on Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso to Atlético Madrid, with that theme reported by Friday’s edition of Diario de Sevilla.
Last August, Tottenham secured a preferential option to buy the midfielder for €25m this summer. This was part of the deal that saw Giovani Lo Celso move from the north London club to Real Betis.
Spurs’ clause is valid only for this month and they must find an agreement with the 23-year-old to complete the transfer.
The report states Cardoso has an agreement in place with Atlético as he wants to extend his stay in La Liga instead of moving to the Premier League, choosing Spain over England. Los Rojiblancos have made the first bid of €30m including bonuses.
According to Diario de Sevilla, Atlético could even include a youngster to get closer to Real Betis’ €40m demand.
Tottenham’s €25m preferential option gets a mention, but the Madrid club have nothing to worry about. That’s because the American doesn’t have ‘any intention’ of joining the Europa League winners.
This gives Atlético a free run to secure Cardoso’s services as long as they can come to an agreement with Real Betis.