Real Betis and Atlético Madrid could delay a deal for midfielder Johnny Cardoso, to avoid Tottenham Hotspur getting a percentage.
That’s according to ABC Sevilla, who report that the two Spanish sides are moving forward with a deal for the American that may shunt Tottenham out of the equation.
They explain that Betis are looking to acquire a stake on Cardoso’s future as part of the move to Atlético Madrid this summer. The current agreement structured around a €25m fee, plus performance bonuses and a future income opportunity for Betis.
Cardoso wants the move to Atlético Madrid and is pushing for it to happen, and the latest meeting has pushed it along.
He has already pushed Tottenham to one side and didn’t want to join them this summer. They had a preferential option on the midfielder that they negotiated as part of Giovani Lo Celso’s move to Betis last summer.
As part of that agreement, Tottenham were due to get a percentage of any deal if Cardoso moved to a different club beyond a date in July. To avoid this, Betis could delay the deal until later in July. At that point, they wouldn’t have to pay Tottenham and would retain a larger portion of the deal for themselves.
