When Tottenham agreed to sell Giovani Lo Celso last summer, they received a special deal from Real Betis, who granted Spurs the opportunity to sign one of the best United States internationals and one of the better young box-to-box midfielders in the world at a reduced price.
Spurs were granted a special release clause to sign Betis center midfielder Johnny Cardoso for the summer 2025 transfer window only. For a fee of just 25 million euros, Tottenham would be able to sign a 23-year-old talent worth at least double that amount of money, offering a solution at what has become a major area of weakness for Spurs.
Instead, it looks like Tottenham won't get the opportunity to sign Cardoso at all. After rumblings that Cardoso isn't interested in leaving Betis this summer at all, thus totally nullifying Tottenham's clause, it appears that the narrative has shifted to Cardoso not wanting to leave LaLiga.
Johnny Cardoso doesn't want a Tottenham transfer
According to a report from GiveMeSport's Tom Bogert, an expert on the USMNT, Atletico Madrid, as expected, are now the leaders in the Cardoso transfer battle. They are expected to sign him this summer for 30 million euros, and, now, even Tottenham feel that the player is more interested in staying in the Spanish league than jumping ship to the English Premiership.
It's a transfer blow that Tottenham need to acknowledge at this point and effectively scrap Cardoso off their board. With the special clause Betis gave Spurs after the Lo Celso sale, Cardoso's situation feels like a loss, as if a player were taken away from Tottenham since Cardoso seemed like such an easy signing to make.
But Cardoso's situation is a sobering reminder that not only is nothing for certain in football, but, also, that Spurs have fallen in stock with this 17th-placed finish despite a Europa League title win. Tottenham need to cherish young players like Mathys Tel who want to join them and remember that they have now fallen behind clubs like Atletico Madrid in the transfer pecking order for talents like Cardoso who have already arrived on the big stage.
Tottenham need to look for more underrated box-to-box alternatives, and while those players will be more expensive than 25 million euros, they could be better and more dynamic players than the slightly overrated Cardoso. Players like Lamine Camara have had better seasons with less hype, and it's time for Spurs to look at Cardoso as an opportunity that has passed and move on.