Football Espana

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.

Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur secured a special clause as part of an agreement with Real Betis that saw Giovani Lo Celso return to Los Verdiblancos. That clause was for Johnny Cardoso, who has been a standout performer for the La Liga side since he arrived from Internacional during the 2024 winter transfer window.

Cardoso has been a very important player for Betis since his arrival, so the clause agreed with Spurs, which is worth €25m, would have been inserted begrudgingly. A number of other clubs have taken an interest in the USMNT midfielder since then, but for now, a move to North London is the most likely if he does leave Andalusia.

Betis have been making arrangements for Cardoso to stay, and on Tuesday, they announced that he had agreed a new five-year contract at the club, which keeps him tied down until the end of the 2029-30 season.

“Real Betis Balompie and Johnny Cardoso have reached an agreement for the extension of the Brazilian midfielder’s contract for one more season. In this way, the American international is linked to the Green and White Club until 2030.”

However, Cardoso’s new contract does little to affect his possible departure in the summer, as MD have reported that Spurs’ special clause is still active.

It is worth noting that Spurs’ clause is only active for a few weeks during the summer transfer window. If they fail to trigger it before the pre-agreed deadline, Betis can demand as much as they want, which would put them in a much more advantageous position.

It would be a big blow for Betis to lose Cardoso in the summer, especially as they would hope to earn more than €25m in normal circumstances. If he does leave, a new defensive midfielder would be required to go alongside Sergi Altimira, Marc Roca and William Carvalho.

Getafe are expected to have a busy winter transfer window, as they seek to improve Jose Bordalas’ squad after an underwhelming start to the season. However, they could instead part ways with star defender Omar Alderete, who has started to attract serious interest.

Tottenham Hotspur have recently been linked with Alderete, and now his agent Renato Bittar has stated (via Diario AS) that the Paraguayan international will be leaving Getafe at some stage this year.

“There are four clubs in England who want him. It’s time to take the leap. If it’s not now, he’ll leave Getafe in the summer.”

Girona’s summer signings have largely failed to make a significant impact so far this season, with perhaps the best being Bryan Gil, who signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay for head coach Michel Sanchez, and already, the Catalan club are thinking about signing him on a permanent basis.

As per Diario AS, they can do so for €15m, as this is the pre-agreed optional buy clause that was included in last summer’s loan deal. Girona bosses are considering it, having been impressed with Gil’s contributions up until now.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Alejo Veliz spent the vast majority of 2024 in La Liga. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla, and he is currently on loan at Espanyol. However, neither spell has been successful, and the current one looks like it is about to be cut short.

Veliz has only played a handful of matches in the last few months, and this has caused frustration for Spurs. As such, they are already working on terminating their agreement with Espanyol, as reported by Tottenham Hotspur News (via MD).