Tottenham Hotspur are facing increasing competition to sign Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis, with Atlético Madrid now turning their attention to him.
That’s according to Marca, who report that Cardoso is ‘gaining traction’ in Atlético’s plans after they abandoned a move to bring Thomas Partey back to the club.
The newspaper explains that the Spanish side want to sign a midfielder this summer, and they had explored bringing Partey back. His high salary and financial demands put an end to that idea, though.
Cardoso would make more sense, particularly with an eye on the future and he ‘now appears in red’ on the club’s list. They are convinced he would be a smart signing.
There is also the benefit of Real Betis needing a sale before June 30th to help balance this year’s financial results, regardless of the result of the Conference League final on May 28th.
Tottenham can provide a potential stumbling block as they have a ‘preferential option’ on the midfielder. They can sign him for €25m between June 20th and July 10th or match a higher offer from any club after that.
But the decision would rest with Cardoso, and it’s felt that Tottenham’s ‘only hope’ of convincing him is if they win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League. Even then, though, Atlético know that Cardoso is tempted to join them this summer.
Thus, it’s bad news for Tottenham, whose chances appear to be low even with the preferential option they hold on the midfielder.