Atletico Madrid has been looking for a new sitting midfielder for a while, and after the volatile Arthur Vermeren -experiment are back to the drawing table. It seemed that they had found their husband in the form of Real Betis' and USMNT star Johnny Cardoso, but talks for the 23-year-old has been delayed.
Cardoso is apparently enthusiastic about a move and has in principle agreed to a deal with Los Rojiblancos on personal conditions. Tottenham Hotspur was also enthusiastic about a move for Cardoso and have a clause of € 25 million to him, but so far Cardoso has not shown no willingness to move to London. While things stand out, priority gives atletico.
However, Atletico has encountered some own roadblocks. Los Colchoneros thought they could get a deal for Cardoso for somewhere around € 25 million that Spurs would have to pay in case they carried out that clause. Nevertheless, Cadena Cope (via Santiago Narvaez) explained that conversations are more complicated than that.
Betis demands € 40 million from Atletico for Cardoso, and as such, the MADRID -based party has started viewing alternatives in the market. It is not excluded that a content cardoso will also stay with Betis next season.
It is not yet clear what the other alternatives are for Atletico, but at the age of Cardoso and in his position there is no wealth of options, even if they feel that the price is disproportionate. Earlier they were the strongest connected to Arsenal -midfielder Thomas Partey, who no longer has a contract, the previous midfielder they had who filled the position before Koke Resurreccion was moved in the roll. However, that conversation has cooled and it is not clear where his future lies.