Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Sat 8 February 2025 7:45, UK

Tottenham are planning to activate Johnny Cardoso’s £21million release clause this summer, sources have told Football Insider.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that Spurs will have to trigger the clause in “the first few weeks of June” when their first-refusal option becomes active.

The 23-year-old midfielder has recently committed to a new contract at Real Betis, but that is not expected to affect his potential departure.

Football Insider reported in September that Spurs had secured a priority option to sign Cardoso for a fee of £21million in their deal to sell Giovani Lo Celso.

This comes as Ange Postecoglou has identified the defensive midfield role as one he wants to strengthen as a priority come the summer transfer window.

A U.S.A international with 18 caps to his name, Cardoso is regarded as the “perfect defensive midfielder”, and Tottenham have the advantage over their competitors for his signature.

Tottenham plan Johnny Cardoso signing after Postecoglou decision

Tottenham’s first refusal option has allowed them to move ahead of the likes of Aston Villa, who have also expressed an interest in signing the midfielder this summer.

Cardoso remains very highly-rated both at Spurs and Real Betis, where he has established himself as a key part of the squad, appearing in 15 of their 22 La Liga games so far.

Postecoglou is keen to bolster his midfield amid growing frustrations surrounding Yves Bissouma and the alternatives in his position.

However, the club had higher priorities in the January transfer window which meant the addition of a midfielder would have to wait until the end of the season.

Cardoso’s signing, meanwhile, is expected to be straightforward, with personal terms set to be a formality if they opt to trigger the release clause.

Expert shares real reason Spurs missed out on late double-deal

Tottenham missed out on a number of their key targets during the transfer window after both Fikayo Tomori and Axel Disasi turned down loan offers.

Meanwhile, it took a one-to-one chat with Postecoglou to convince Mathys Tel of the move.

The club’s former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that they struggled to convince players to join because of the late timing of their moves.

While the club’s poor league position is also thought to have played a part, deadline-day moves have been described as “difficult” as the players have little time to make a decision.

As a result, the attempted late flurry of signings has raised further frustrations towards Daniel Levy amongst the Spurs supporters.

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