Tottenham have agreed to let Giovani Lo Celso return to Real Betis, and within the deal they have been given ‘priority’ access to the future signing of Johnny Cardoso, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Spurs have been open to the exit of Lo Celso throughout the summer. The midfielder played just 22 Premier League games for the north London club last term, with Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison largely preferred in midfield.
Real Betis have been keen on him, having originally sold him to Tottenham for approximately £27million, but the terms have not been right for the Spanish outfit.
As such, Spurs came up with a creative way of letting Lo Celso return to Betis for reduced terms.
Indeed, Romano has confirmed that the deal has been ‘completed’, with a move for Betis man Cardoso involved.
Rather than an immediate swap deal, Romano states that Tottenham have been given a ‘priority option’ to snare the USA international ‘in the future’.
Cardoso has agreed to that, and therefore if at any point Spurs decide to pull the trigger, they will be able to beat other clubs to the signing.
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Last season, the midfielder was useful, scoring once and assisting twice in 17 games, but has not cemented his place in Betis’ side, so Tottenham do not yet deem him a player worth of signing, but certainly see his potential.
If he does not reach the heights they think he can, Ange Postecoglou’s side can still benefit.
Indeed, Romano states that if Tottenham decide against signing Cardoso, for whatever reason, they’ll essentially have a sell-on clause for him.
As such, even though he is not their player, they will receive a portion of the fee that Betis make from the midfielder.
It seems they have done a good job in getting Lo Celso, a player who was not entirely fancied, out the door, with multiple routes to success in the future as part of that deal.
For the Tottenham man, he returns to a side where he scored 16 goals in his final season, and he could therefore rediscover form.