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Tottenham Hotspur have received a blow in the chase for Johnny Cardoso as the player is preferring a stay in La Liga over a move to the Premier League at the moment.
The north London outfit managed to secure a ticket for the next Champions League by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Spurs supremo Daniel Levy is now focused on helping Ange Postecoglou strengthen areas of his squad to not repeat their dire domestic campaign in the following season.
A defensive midfielder is on the agenda of Spurs and they have a player already in their mind in the form of Real Betis star Cardoso.
Spanish giants Atletico Madrid are also chasing the USA international’s signature, as he is high on Diego Simeone’s list.
However, Tottenham agreed to a deal with Betis to have an option to buy Cardoso during a set window for €25m when they negotiated a transfer for Giovani Lo Celso.
Spurs could look to pay the agreed fee for the defensive midfielder to secure him, but Atletico Madrid are also ready to surpass Tottenham’s offer.
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Despite having an option on Cardoso, the Premier League outfit will need to convince the Real Betis star to move to north London in the summer.
And according to Spanish journalist Manu de Olmedo, Spurs have received a blow in their chase for Cardoso as the player wants to stay in La Liga.
It is suggested that Atletico Madrid have already agreed to terms with Cardoso, which will see him stay with them until 2030 if they manage to secure his signature.
However, in the event of another club signing Cardoso, the Premier League outfit will receive 20 per cent from the sale as agreed by Levy previously with Betis.
Now it remains to be seen whether Spurs will give up and move on to other targets or they will try to convince him of a move.