Tottenham are expected to speed up their pursuit of Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso in reaction to Aston Villa joining the race for the USMNT star.
When selling Giovani Lo Celso to Betis in the summer, Tottenham secured the right of first refusal on signing Cardoso. As such, they have the chance to bring him to the Premier League – or they could even earn a portion of the fee if Betis sell him elsewhere.
But with recent reports claiming Aston Villa are also keeping tabs on Cardoso, Tottenham might need to make a decision about whether to take their opportunity to sign him sooner rather than later. And according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, it’s likely that Tottenham ‘don’t want to miss out’ on Cardoso and will make full use of the deal Daniel Levy has smartly agreed.
“He really had them over the barrel on this one,” O’Rourke told Football Insider. “If he does well at Betis, I’m sure Spurs will maybe take up their option of signing him on a permanent basis, especially if they see one of their rivals Aston Villa showing a bit of interest.
“They might think, ‘right, we need to get this deal done’, because they don’t want to miss out on him.
“But whatever happens, Spurs have got every corner covered. They’ll either make money if they sign him or if they don’t they’ll make a bit of profit from his transfer fee.
“Smart piece of business by Daniel Levy and we shouldn’t be surprised, he is very good in his negotiations that he gets a deal like this. I haven’t seen too many deals like this in the transfer market.”
LEARN MORE 👉 Who is Tottenham target Johnny Cardoso? The subject of a bizarre potential Spurs switch
Tottenham’s agreement for Cardoso explained
Tottenham’s agreement with Betis for Cardoso means they will be able to sign him for a fixed fee of €30m (£25.1m/$31.6m) when they desire.
Alternatively, they will be entitled to a percentage of the transfer fee Betis receive if he is sold to another club.
Betis president Angel Haro confirmed in September: “It would be interesting for everyone, it would mean that we would also have a capital gain.
“In short, if there is an operation in which a capital gain is produced for Betis, Tottenham would have a percentage of it. There is also an option to buy for them, but it would be high and positive for us if it were to happen.”
The percentage of the profit Tottenham would earn if someone like Aston Villa bought him instead is yet to be disclosed, but it might not matter anyway if they do activate their move for him.
Tottenham transfer roundup
Cardoso is not the only player who could be on his way from La Liga to Tottenham. Speculative reports from Spain have claimed Spurs have also joined the race for Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo.
He would be available to buy for €60m (£50m/$63m) thanks to his release clause, but Tottenham are not the only side in the hunt for him.
It is an interesting development, though, while Son Heung-min’s future is under discussion. The latest on that front is that Spurs are expected to activate their option to renew the captain’s contract until 2026 – but then it might be goodbye.
And as their attack evolves, they have also been linked with an in-form striker who is quickly outgrowing the German second division.