Football Espana

Giovani Lo Celso returned to Real Betis on Friday, signing a three-year deal upon arriving from Tottenham Hotspur. As part of the agreement between the two clubs, it was revealed that the Premier League side will have a special clause for Johnny Cardoso’s, one of Los Verdiblancos’ highest-value players.

Johnny joined Betis from Internacional in January in a deal worth €6m, and during his time in La Liga, the USMNT pivot has shown himself to be a fine player. AC Milan were one of the clubs to make an offer for the 22-year-old, but it was turned down.

Relevo have revealed the details of Spurs’ “Johnny clause”. It is worth in the region of €25-30m, so Betis would have to accept this amount if it is paid. Furthermore, the clause is open active next summer – it cannot be activated before, and if it not touched by September 2025, it disappears forever.

Tottenham Hotspur went into a negotiation with Real Betis looking to sell one player, and have come out with part of another. Giovani Lo Celso will move back to Seville on transfer deadline day, but the compensation received by Spurs has taken on a curious form.

Lo Celso was Betis’ top target after missing out on Dani Ceballos, and they were desperate to get a deal over the line with Tottenham Hotspur. However they were keen not to pay a fee, and will end up fronting just his salary for a three-year deal with the Argentina international, who has an option for a further year.

Matteo Moretto has explained to Football España that instead of a fee, Spurs will have an option to buy USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who arrived at the club in January for €6m. If they do not want to buy him, they will still have the chance to make money on the 22-year-old, instead retaining a sell-on fee percentage.

Cardoso has looked impressive in the early going, and is a defensive midfielder primarily concerned with holding the defence together, and recovering the ball high up the pitch. He is competent on the ball, and possesses a vicious shot – just months after arriving, he was already being tipped for a big-money move this summer.

Real Betis are desperate to bring in a creative presence before the end of the summer transfer window, and it looks as if they are not going to have the funds to bring in Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid. They are turning their attention to another former midfielder of theirs.

Betis have submitted a final offer for Ceballos, but they are not hopeful of it being accepted, and as such, have opened talks with Tottenham Hotspur for Giovani Lo Celso again. Like Ceballos, Lo Celso has been perenially linked with a return to the Benito Villamarin in recent summers, but like Ceballos, the finances could get in the way.

Despite the Argentina international having just a year left on his deal, Spurs are demanding around €15m for his signature. Betis have made a first offer of around €6m for Lo Celso though. Marca say that Betis are awaiting a response, with Aston Villa also linked to Lo Celso.

Manuel Pellegrini does have Isco and Pablo Fornals at his disposal but with another season in Europe, will no doubt be keen to have plenty of depth available. Additionally, and in comparison to the departing Nabil Fekir, Lo Celso and Ceballos can play deeper in midfield with Isco ahead of them.

Nabil Fekir has been linked with a move away from Real Betis for most of the summer. However, it had appeared that he would be remaining at the club until 2025 at the earliest, having been named as one of the captains before the start of the season. However, it’s now almost certain that he will be moving on.

As reported by Relevo, Fekir is on his way to Paris to finalising his exit. He will negotiate with Al-Jazira Club, and the assumption is that a deal will be closed before the summer transfer window closes in Spain on Friday.

Fekir’s departure will free up funds and salary space to pursue a sufficient replacement. The report notes that Giovani Lo Celso and Dani Ceballos, two former Betis players, are the favourites to return to the club before the end of the week.

The magnitude of Barcelona’s salary limit struggles remains unclear, but certainly it is not a healthy situation. After Ilkay Gundogan was encouraged to leave for Manchester City this week in order to save money, it seems the Blaugrana will look to sell one of two defenders they had been planning to keep.

According to Sport, selling one of Eric Garcia or Andreas Christensen is one of Deco’s tasks in the final days of the transfer window in order to increase their spending capacity. The former is allegedly more open to an exit than at the start of the summer. While Newcastle United were pursuing him at the start of the summer, their own financial fair play issues have ruled them out of the race.

Pedri might take Ferran's spot in the starting XI, but besides that, Flick isn't considering any changes from the lineup used against Valencia. @scapde_45

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 22, 2024

Barcelona want at least €25m for Christensen, and the Catalan paper credit Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur with interest in the former Chelsea man. The Danish defender has two years left on his deal, and thus a sale makes sense for Barcelona if they do not intend on renewing his contract – his camp are testing the market.

Meanwhile Garcia is keen to stay and fight for his chances, Barcelona may tell him that he will receive little game time, knowing that Girona remain interested in him. He spent last year on loan there, but Barcelona would want a transfer for the 23-year-old. There has also been talk of the Blaugrana moving for a right-back in the last week of the window. If that is the case, then Jules Kounde could return to central defence.

Reports at the start of the summer claimed that Garcia could return to Girona for €15-20m, although Quique Carcel is yet to make a move for him. Recent information is that Barcelona are still looking to bring in a left winger, in particular Juventus’ Federico Chiesa, and there is no doubt they have a couple too many options in central defence, although the same could be said of their attack.

Christensen has been consistently good at the back for Barcelona, and provided solid performances since his arrival. Garcia’s form has been less consistent, but he is coming off his best season yet for Girona, and an Olympic gold medal with Spain. He is also five years Christensen’s junior.

It’s been a rather quiet summer so far for Espanyol, who had only closed two signings before this week. That numbered doubled on Wednesday, with deals completed for a new striker and midfielder.

Alejo Veliz, who was on loan at Sevilla during the second half of last season, has signed on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The Argentine youngster is likely seen as the replacement for Martin Braithwaite, who left last month under a cloud of smoke in order to join Gremio.

✍️ OFICIAL | @alee_veliz s'incorpora a l'#RCDE

— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) August 7, 2024

As well as Veliz, Espanyol have confirmed the arrival of Alex Kral. The former West Ham United and Spartak Moscow central midfielder makes the move from Union Berlin, also on a season-long loan.

✍️ OFICIAL | @alexkralcz, nou jugador de l'#RCDE.

— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) August 7, 2024

Atletico Madrid appear to be closing in on a deal to sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, as Diego Simeone’s wait for a new midfielder appears to be coming to an end. A fee in the region of €35-40m is almost agreed upon, after which personal terms would need to be sorted – this could be an obstacle, but there is confirmed from within.

However, it won’t be straightforward for Atleti to get their man. Not only could these personal terms be a hiccup, but they’re also expected to receive strong competition for Gallagher’s signature from Tottenham Hotspur. Sky Sports have noted that Chelsea are expecting to receive an offer from their London rivals.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 JUST IN: There is still a lot of work to be done on the Conor Gallagher deal as Atlético Madrid do not yet have an agreement with the player.

Atleti and Chelsea are close to agreeing on a fee, but Tottenham are expected to make a bid.@SkySportsLyall pic.twitter.com/PmQRK7IfUB

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 31, 2024

Football Insider also say this, as well as reporting that Spurs intend to hijack Atleti’s efforts to sign Gallagher, who has emerged as their leading midfield target over the last couple of weeks.

Atletico Madrid appear to be closing in on a deal to sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, as Diego Simeone’s wait for a new midfielder appears to be coming to an end. A fee in the region of €35-40m is almost agreed upon, after which personal terms would need to be sorted – this could be an obstacle, but there is confirmed from within.

However, it won’t be straightforward for Atleti to get their man. Not only could these personal terms be a hiccup, but they’re also expected to receive strong competition for Gallagher’s signature from Tottenham Hotspur. Sky Sports have noted that Chelsea are expecting to receive an offer from their London rivals.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 JUST IN: There is still a lot of work to be done on the Conor Gallagher deal as Atlético Madrid do not yet have an agreement with the player.

Atleti and Chelsea are close to agreeing on a fee, but Tottenham are expected to make a bid.@SkySportsLyall pic.twitter.com/PmQRK7IfUB

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 31, 2024

Football Insider also say this, as well as reporting that Spurs intend to hijack Atleti’s efforts to sign Gallagher, who has emerged as their leading midfield target over the last couple of weeks.

Girona Sporting Director Quique Carcel has been given a tough job this summer to rebuild their side for their first entry into the Champions League. Already they have lost Eric Garcia, Yan Couto and Savio, after their loan deals expired, but the Catalan side are working hard to replace them.

On Monday Girona announced the signing of Bryan Gil on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old returns back to Spain on loan for the third time in three years, after previous spells at Valencia and Sevilla. Gil will likely occupy the left wing role vacated by the brilliant Savio last season.

Girona Sporting Director Quique Carcel has been given a tough job this summer to rebuild their side for their first entry into the Champions League. Already they have lost Eric Garcia, Yan Couto and Savio, after their loan deals expired, but the Catalan side are working hard to replace them.

On Monday Girona announced the signing of Bryan Gil on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old returns back to Spain on loan for the third time in three years, after previous spells at Valencia and Sevilla. Gil will likely occupy the left wing role vacated by the brilliant Savio last season.