Football Espana

Atletico Madrid have been on the hunt for a new sitting midfielder for some time, and after the fleeting Arthur Vermeeren experiment, are back to the drawing board. It appeared they had found their man in the shape of Real Betis’ and USMNT star Johnny Cardoso, but talks for the 23-year-old have slowed.

Cardoso is seemingly keen on a move, and has agreed in principle to a deal with Los Rojiblancos on personal terms. Tottenham Hotspur were also keen on a move for Cardoso, and have a €25m buy clause on him, but so far Cardoso has not shown a willingness to move to London. As things stand, he is prioritising Atletico.

🚨 OFFICIAL: IFAB’s full statement in reference to Julián Álvarez’s penalty injustice.

“The penalty should be retaken.” pic.twitter.com/S37pLu2bT2

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) June 3, 2025

Atletico Madrid unwilling to meet asking price

However Atletico have run into some roadblocks of their own. Los Colchoneros felt they could get a deal done for Cardoso for somewhere around the €25m mark that Spurs would have to pay in the event they executed that clause. Yet Cadena Cope (via Santiago Narvaez) have explained that talks are more complicated than that.

🟢🚨 Última hora #RealBetis.

👉 Informa @COPE que el Atlético NO está dispuesto a pagar los 40M€ que pide el Betis por Cardoso -como ya informamos días atrás-.

🔎 El equipo madrileño estaría buscando 𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 en el mercado.

✍️ Mi información es que Cardoso… pic.twitter.com/d0gOU3PxcR

— Santiago Narváez 🎙️ (@SantiagNarvaez) June 3, 2025

Betis are demanding €40m from Atletico for Cardoso, and as such, the Madrid-based side have begun to look at alternatives in the market. It is not ruled out that a content Cardoso remains at Betis next season either.

Value for money with Cardoso?

It is not yet clear what the other alternatives are for Atletico, but at Cardoso’s age and in his position, there is not a wealth of options, even if they do feel the price is disproportionate. Previously they had been most strongly linked with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who is out of contract, the previous midfielder they had that filled the position before Koke Resurreccion was moved into the role. That talk has cooled though, and it is not clear where his future lies.

Atletico Madrid are in the market for a new defensive midfielder, and they are closing in on a deal for one of their top targets during this summer’s transfer window.

It is no secret that Atleti head coach Diego Simeone has been desperate for a pivot to be signed for some time now. Los Colchoneros failed to sign one last summer, but 12 months on, Cholo’s wishes are about to be granted.

In recent weeks, it has been reported that Atleti have established Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso as a priority target for the summer, and they are now closing in on a deal to bring him to the RiyadhAir Metropolitano.

Tottenham Hotspur have a special clause that allows them to sign Cardoso for a reduced price, but according to Marca (via CaughtOffside), the USA international would much rather join Atleti this summer. And the report has also stated that personal terms are close to being agreed between player and club.

And club-to-club talks are also believed to be underway following the end of Betis’ season, which concluded with their 4-1 UEFA Conference League final defeat to Chelsea on Wednesdy. According to GiveMeSport, Spurs have started to accept that they will not sign Johnny, who is expected to cost Atleti in the region of €30m.

💣🚨 BREAKING – CONFIRMED: Atletico Madrid are leading the race to sign Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.

– Nothing totally agreed yet, but talks between clubs continue

– Fee likely to be around €30m

– Spurs feel he prefers to stay in La Liga

[🎖️: @JacobsBen & @tombogert] pic.twitter.com/3yzpyLoWYg

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) May 29, 2025

There is no doubt that Cardoso would be a top signing for Atleti. He has impressed since joining Betis from Internacional in January 2024, and at 23, he is more than capable of continuing to improve over the coming years.

The prospect of a midfield pairing of Pablo Barrios and Cardoso, with Rodrigo De Paul, Koke Resurreccion and Marcos Llorente as backup options, is a very appealing thought for Atleti, who will hope to have a deal wrapped up in the coming weeks. And one it is done, they can move on other targets, such as Alex Baena and Cristian Romero.

Atletico Madrid intend to open talks with Tottenham Hotspur for their star defender Cristian Romero, who played a key role in ending their trophy drought against Manchester United in the Europa League. Los Colchoneros are keen to bring Romero in before the Club World Cup.

As such, they intend to open talks with Spurs, and it may well be this week, say Sky Sports. Given the improvised transfer window will close on the 10th of June, they have 13 days to get a deal done if they do want him available for their trip to the United States. It is not yet clear whether Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy is open to having those conversations.

Tottenham value Romero at €70m

Atletico have identified Romero as one of their top targets, and after opening talks with Villarreal for Alex Baena, will move for the Argentina internaitonal. CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin is expected to take charge of the negotiations for Atletico.

One of the stumbling blocks may be the price. Tottenham value Romero at more than €60m report the British outlet, while Atletico are hoping to pay around €45m for the 27-year-old. That said, some reports claim that Spurs will ask for around €70m.

Romero and Postecoglou view on move

Romero has recently expressed a desire to play in Spain, which many took as a hint he was open to a move to Atletico. However manager Ange Postecoglou recently stated publicly that he wanted to retain Romero.

🚨🇪🇸 Alejandro Iturbe will not continue next season with Atleti B.

The club, his camp, and the player all agree that the time has come to make the leap, with La Liga 2 being the preferred destination.

He has a contract until 2027.

[🎖️: @jsancris_, @AtleticoSportes] pic.twitter.com/obMVdF3nko

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) May 28, 2025

“Yes, we have to make sure players like him stay. If he leaves, who do you replace him with? There aren’t many like him. It will be very important for the club to try to keep him, and do so for the long term,” Postecoglou said, as quoted by Diario AS.

Atletico Madrid investing big again this summer

With the potential signings of Romero and Baena, it would represent a second consecutive summer of big spending for Los Colchoneros. Last time round they spent €34.5m on Spain international Robin Le Normand, and their total investment was close to €200m, including the additions of Conor Gallagher, Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez.

Girona appear to have made a decision on whether to sign Oriol Romeu and Bryan Gil, who are on loan from Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, on a permanent basis ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

Both players arrived last summer on loans, but they each had a buy option included in the agreed deals. In regards to Bryan, his clause was valued at €15m, and earlier this year, it was reported that Girona were seriously considering activating this at the end of the season. But as it turns out, they have decided not to do so.

And the same can be said too for Romeu, who returned to Girona last summer just 12 months on from leaving the Catalans for Barcelona. He struggled back at Montilivi, failing to become a regular starter for head coach Michel Sanchez.

Girona confirm four loanees have returned to parent clubs

On Tuesday, Girona confirmed that Bryan and Romeu would be returning to Spurs and Barcelona respectively, alongside other loanees Arthur Melo and Arnaut Danjuma, who have gone back to Fiorentina and Villarreal.

📌 Oriol Romeu, Bryan Gil, Arnaut Danjuma i Arthur Melo tornen als seus clubs d'origen

El Club vol expressar-los el seu agraïment i desitjar-los molta sort en el futur.

👏 Gràcies Oriol, Bryan, Arnaut i Arthur!

— Girona FC (@GironaFC) May 27, 2025

There is still a chance for Bryan and Romeu to re-join Girona

However, this announcement does not necessarily mean that Bryan or Romeu will not return to Girona later in the summer. In regards to the latter, he is out of contract at Barcelona, and with no plans for a new deal to be offered, he will become a free agent at the start of July.

Tottenham are also looking to sell Bryan, and the likelihood is that they would offer lower than the €15m buy clause that Girona had, which means that there is chances for the Catalans to return to the bidding.

It will be interesting to see how Girona go about their business this summer. Their disappointing 16th place finish in La Liga could mean that there is less money to spend on deals during the upcoming transfer window.

Atletico Madrid are aiming to have another successful summer transfer window in 2025, and they could look to the Premier League in their bid to address one of the positions that Diego Simeone wants looked at before the start of next season.

In recent weeks, Atleti have been linked with numerous players. A new left-back would be needed if Reinildo Mandava moves on, and a possible replacement could be Alvaro Carreras, while club bosses also believe that Alex Baena is a player that should be brought to the Metropolitano.

Left-back and left midfield are certainly areas that could be addressed this summer, but as per Relevo, Atleti are clear that the priority is for a new central defender and central midfielder to be signed during the transfer window.

And for the latter position, one of the players that Atleti have added to their shortlist ahead of the summer is Rodrigo Bentancur. According to the report, their interest is in its early stages, but there has been contacts made to find out whether a deal would be possible.

Bentancur is a player that fits perfectly into Simeone’s aggressive style of play, and the fact that international teammate Jose Maria Gimenez is already at the club makes it a more attractive proposition for him – and it also gives Atleti an advantage.

Bentancur sees his Tottenham Hotspur contract expire at the end of next season, and if no agreement on a new deal arrives before the summer, Atleti could use the uncertainty to make their move. However, it will not be easy, as he is considered to be an important player in North London.

It remains to be seen whether Atleti can land Bentancur, but for now, he is one option of many that is being considered at the offices of the Metropolitano.

Barcelona, like many sides, are currently in the planning phase for next season, and are in contact with various targets ahead of a potential move. However the Catalan giants are operating with an added handicap in that they are not sure how much money, or more pertinently, how much space they will have in their salary limit to spend on new additions.

That adds a degree of uncertainty both for the Barcelona management and for potential recruits, no doubt keeping the door open for alternatives. One such case is Jonathan Tah. The Bayer Leverkusen defender is out of contract in the summer, and has decided against a contract renewal, while Barcelona’s other main competition for his signature was previously Bayern Munich, who have publicly declared they are no longer interested.

Jonathan Tah is waiting for clarity from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are positioning themselves to make him a proposal. @RogerTorello

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 24, 2025

However the centre-back position at Barcelona remains uncertain. While Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez will continue, the futures of Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are yet to be resolved. Although it is believed that Tah has agreed terms with Barcelona, and recently claimed that his signing is a ‘matter of time’, if the Uruguayan remains, it seems unlikely that Tah would join.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have taken an interest in his situation. Both Premier League sides are keen to strengthen their defence next season, and have been in contact with his camp in order to find out more about a potential signing. Liverpool of course have star defender Virgil van Dijk out of contract in the summer.

Reports from Spain have claimed that Araujo has an ‘affordable’ €65m release clause valid for the opening ten days of the transfer market, after the 26-year-old signed a deal until 2031 in January. He has claimed that he wants to stay at Barcelona, but his decision could hinge on whether he plays a key role under Flick, with Cubarsi and Martinez both ahead of him in the pecking order so far.

Back in February 2024, Tottenham Hotspur won the race to sign Lucas Bergvall from Djurgardens – and they beat out Barcelona in the process. It was a late bid from the Premier League side that saw them acquire the teenage midfielder, and since his arrival, he has established himself as an important player.

In his mind, he has justified the decision to snub Barcelona in favour of a move to North London. And this opinion is also shared from Djurgardens sporting director Bosse Andersson, who confirmed the Catalans’ interest during an interview on Carina Bergfelt’s talk show, as per MD.

“Lucas is an interesting and talented footballer. We had the privilege of discussing with one of the biggest football clubs in Europe, Barcelona, who were interested. I think Barcelona were quite surprised (to miss out on signing him), because you don’t go to Barcelona just to look, you go there to have tapas and see if it’s pretty.

“I think they were very disappointed that he chose Tottenham. But the decision itself was the right one because he has become an established Premier League player. All the coaches and everyone talk about him as a fantastic player, and he just turned 19.”

It has not been a good season for Girona, whose struggles continued on Saturday with a disappointing draw at home to Valencia. To make matters worse, one of their relied-upon attackers could have played his final match for the club.

Bryan Gil missed the match against Valencia, and post-match, Girona head coach Michel Sanchez confirmed that the on-loan Tottenham Hotspur winger has suffered a knee injury. The severity of the problem is yet to be determined, but if surgery is needed, the 24-year-old will play no further part this season, as per MD.

“Bryan, as I said, has a knee injury and tomorrow he must speak to Dr. Cugat. We will see if an operation is necessary or not. If he has to have surgery, he could miss the entire season. But if not, this Sunday will be the last tests and we will see. Cugat will make the decision with the players. It doesn’t look good, although I think there is still a lack of evidence.”

Gil has had an okay spell at Girona, but the Catalan club have been very pleased with his contribution despite a distinct lack of goal contributions. They have a buy option as part of the agreement with Spurs, so he may not have played his final match for the club even if he is ruled out for the remainder of the season. On that, they are said to be considering activating it.

It will be a big blow for Girona if Gil cannot play any further part in the 2024-25 season. Medical examinations over the next 24 hours will determine the severity of the issue, and everyone involved will be desperate in their hopes that surgery is not needed.

Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will be heading to San Sebastian next month, as Real Sociedad made it through to the last 16 of the Europa League. Imanol Alguacil’s side defeated FC Midtjylland 5-2 in the second leg of their play-off round tie on Thursday, which ensured a 7-3 aggregate victory.

It was a bizarre match at times, as La Real raced into a two-goal lead before being pegged back to 2-2 in the first half – from then, they would go on to score three unanswered goals to guarantee their progression. Brais Mendez scored the opener at the Reale Arena, and as per MD, he reflected on the 90 minutes.

“The objective is accomplished. We knew it was going to be difficult, but it was soon in our faces. The last minutes of the first half we relaxed, it can’t happen again, but we reacted. I don’t know if it was overconfidence, relaxation… They have gone up front with many players, we wanted to come out playing and we had losses. Like the second goal, which is my fault.”

As mentioned, La Real will be paired up with one of Man United or Spurs during Friday’s draw. They will start as underdogs to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but Brais and his teammates will not fear whoever stands in their way.

“We don’t care (who we play). They are two rivals that just with the name they have… they are incredible. If we have to go far, we have to beat the best. I’m not afraid of any of them.”

La Real have had a disappointing season up until now, amplified by the fact that they are only 11th in the La Liga standings. That tie against Man United or Spurs could provide the catalyst for a strong end to the season if they can come through it with a victory across two legs.

Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Betis negotiate a deal that saw Giovani Lo Celso return to the Benito Villamarin, five years after leaving. 12 months on, the expectation is that the two clubs will once again be involved in an operation, but this time, the player in question would be moving in the opposite direction.

As part of the Lo Celso deal, Betis and Spurs negotiated a “special clause” that the Premier League side would retain for Johnny Cardoso. As part of this, a deal can be sealed for €25m, which would be a bargain price for the American midfielder given the impact that he has made in La Liga since his arrival last January.

Since this revelation, there has been increased interest in Cardoso, notably from the Premier League. Wolves tried to sign him during the recent winter transfer window, but Betis turned that offer down, and as such, he will be remaining in Andalusia until the end of the season.

However, it is likely that Cardoso is in his final few months as a Betis player, as according to ED, the intention of Spurs is to activate the special clause that they have for the 23-year-old pivot.

As per the report, the clause becomes active on the 30th of June, and it will only be live until the 10th of July – after this, it disappears forever, although Spurs do not appear to be thinking about this.

If Cardoso does join Spurs in the summer, Betis would net a handy profit. They signed him from Internacional last winter for a fee of €6m, and although a further €3.8m would go to the Brazilian side as part of retaining 20% of any capital gain made by Los Verdiblancos, it would still see them walk away with €15m, and this can go towards securing the services of a suitable replacement.