Last August, Tottenham Hotspur secured a €25m purchase option for Johnny Cardoso as part of the deal that saw Giovani Lo Celso move to Real Betis. The Premier League club can activate it this summer.
Back in February, we covered claims from Spain which stated Spurs need to agree personal terms with the midfielder to activate the clause. Last month, ABC Sevilla reported Cardoso isn’t convinced about joining Tottenham.
Earlier this month, Marca stated Atlético Madrid are ready to challenge the north London club for the 23-year-old’s signature. They also said Tottenham’s ‘only hope’ to convince him was by winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League.
Ange Postecoglou’s side won the Europa League but Marca believe they are set to miss out on the American. That’s according to a fresh report from Marca, who state Los Rojiblancos will step up their efforts to secure his services.
On Wednesday, Real Betis lost to Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League final. Atlético wanted to respect their La Liga colleagues and wait until after yesterday’s fixture to make an approach for Cardoso.
Tottenham have a preferential clause of €25m, but Marca report that they won’t exercise it since the player wants to join Diego Simeone’s side. To be clear, the Spanish newspaper state: ‘However, that clause will not be exercised precisely because of the Brazilian-origin American’s wishes, given that he has the final say. And his is unequivocal: Atlético.’
The report further adds the Madrid club have received the ‘green light to accelerate’ and a ‘full agreement with the midfielder is imminent’. In this way, it’s believed the Premier League club will miss out on Cardoso to Atlético.