A balompie ride to the top - João Lucas de Souza Cardoso (Johnny) at Real Betis

USMNT's Johnny Cardoso top target for Atlético Madrid - sources - ESPN

 

"Cardoso has an €80m release clause set in his contract..." but, "Tottenham Hotspur have a priority option..." to buy him. Last time this was mentioned it was somewhere in the realm of £20m.

Johnny's agent is a genius. There's no way Betis negotiated an extension with an €80m release clause if Spurs could actually force them to sell him for 3x less money...

 

The priority option is just this summer - for only a couple weeks I think. The release clause is for the length of his contract. They can coexist. They're both kind of silly, mind you, but they aren't mutually exclusive.

More importantly re the Spurs - the priority option is between Spurs and Betis and had nothing to do with Johnny. It's completely irrelevant if Johnny doesn't want to go to Spurs as he won't agree to terms with them.

 

Right, I think it's incorrect to describe it as an "option" if Johnny OR Betis are just able to say no. I don't think anything other than a verbal handshake ever existed between the clubs and the player. There's no enforcement mechanism that doesn't violate FIFAPro rules, PSR/FFP rules, or EU laws. Because a handshake deal functionally has a monetary value of $0, I don't think Johnny was actually part of the final deal between Betis and Spurs to move Lo Celso.

Again, I think Johnny's agent is a genius. He invented a mechanism that sounds valuable ("Spurs have a priority option to sign Johnny for cheap!"), but doesn't really exist, and used that to get Johnny's name all over the tabloids. Combined with Johnny's talent, and Betis' performances, its created a situation where Betis might be able to start a bidding war between clubs with deep pockets. Spurs might even be one of them, who knows?

 

They also have to have release clauses in Spain due to law

 

I don't see Johnny in the squad today. He's not listed as injured (or suspended), so I'm hoping he's just resting up for next week's UEFA Conference League Final against Chelsea (in Poland).

 

Actually, the law doesn't require them, but if the club doesn't set them, then a judge gets to decide how much the player (or any employee-by-contract, as I understand it) owes the club to nullify their contract. A labor judge is probably only going to consider existing factors (like how much the club pays the player, how much the player could earn in bonuses, or how much the club paid for the player's rights) and is almost certainly not going to try and suss out "future market value".

To avoid this possibility, the clubs write buy-out clauses in the contracts between the club and players, which essentially says "I, the player, agree with my employer, the club, that my services are worth this amount, and if I want to buy-out my contract, I will have to pay them this amount."

Because a judge would likely only consider the player's contract terms and past moves when calculating owed compensation, the clubs usually set the release clause at "total value of the player's wages & bonuses + player rights acquisition costs + future estimated market value". The future estimated market value doesn't have to be justified, the player just has to agree to it (which is how you wind up with release clauses of €1bn for Yamal and Vinicius). But you're rarely gonna see a release clause that's LOWER than the player's total wages + acquisition costs, because then you're just playing yourself.

 

Johnny starts! Real Betis vs Chelsea in the Final of the UEFA Conference League, in Wrocław, Poland.

​

 

man, that was a sitter that he missed...gotta be 2-0 there...sigh

 

Johnny Cardoso against Chelsea

Johnny Cardoso against Chelsea #USMNT #thfc #ATM #DiaDeBetis pic.twitter.com/OKc6SBI03h

— up the Eustace🇺🇲 (@dcfcnetti) May 28, 2025

 

Thought he played really well. Score wasn't a reflection of his performance.

 

Johnny #Cardoso has an agreement in principle for a contract until 2030 with #AtleticoMadrid, which are in talks with #RealBetis to try to sign him. #Tottenham are also interested in the midfielder. #transfers

— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) May 30, 2025

 

He was excellent in the first half but faded along with the rest of the team after Chelsea switched from an inverted RB to a conventional Back 4 with Reece James.

One game won't affect his value or who comes after him in the window, he's been too good for too long for that, but it does make the difference between wherre he's playing come August. With a win, it's possible that Johnny might have been open to staying as Betis tried to build a team capable of challenging for the CL slots. That option is gone and both parties will surely look to cash in

 

love the Brazil versus Argentina deal going on with Enzo ... I don't think Enzo liked that Johnny checked him off a few times ... that is the bite our USMNT need .... might be nice for Poch to make him team captain ... as time goes on Johnny is reminding me of a more sublime Jermaine Jones ... Jones wanted to stand over his opponent after he knocked him on his keister ... Johnny just seems to enjoying moving the ball quickly ....

 

Jones was one of the fieriest players in the history of the program. Nearest current comp has to be Adams. But pretty much all of our guys in the middle of the park could use a good dose of JJJ-icine

 

Yea if Cardoso had more grit/aggression and more speed he’d be a world class player. What he does bring is great decision making, vision, and technical ability.

 

Looks like a move to Atletico is close.

🚨🔴⚪️ Atlético Madrid have reached an agreement with Johnny Cardoso on personal terms and advancing in talks to get deal done with Real Betis.

Package deal around €30m with bonuses and also potential players as part of the agreement now being discussed. pic.twitter.com/DdwV0RUB8h

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2025

 

Would this be considered an above average transfer for Atletico? I’m hoping they see him as a starter off the bat.

 

On par with Connor Gallagher last season 42mil 32 appearances
Robin Le Normand last season 34.5 mil 27 appearances
Alexander Sorloth last season 32 mil 35 appearances
Their big move last season was Julian Alverez 75 mil
Those are all the purchases that had for last seas.

My observation is they are not bringing him in to be a sub at that price.

 

Will he join them for CWC?

 

Definitely not as a sub but maybe not as a starter but as what you could call "strategic depth".

Koke and De Paul are both entering the last year of their contracts and a 31 year-old De Paul has been seeking a 3-year extension with a major pay rise to reflect his World Cup medal. The club is offering 2 years and a "significant" pay rise so negotiations stalled but a decision is imminent.

Even if De Paul doesn't move on, with 50+ games a season at the highest level, Atleti still need someone who is already not far short of him or Koke and has an upside. There'll be plenty of PT for him.

 

Yeah... I am a pretty big fan of this move. Obviously there is some unknown.... there always is when you move to a higher level club and have yet to earn your starting slot.... but the transfer fee is legit and I really do agree that Simeone might be the exact type of coach that could help Johnny reach his potential.