How USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso could end up at Tottenham after weird potential transfer deadline day deal
U.S. men’s national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso became the subject of one of the strangest deals on transfer deadline day when Tottenham Hotspur exercised an option to purchase the player in the future as part of a deal with Real Betis.
The agreement stems from Spurs’ deal with Betis to sell Giovani Lo Celso, who is expected to join the Spanish club, which is expected to be completed before the deadline. According to the Evening Standard, Betis will reportedly pay a transfer fee of around $4.5 million, but according to Football.London, this only covers 50% of the deal’s value – Betis will make up the difference with a 50% sell-on clause for Lo Celso.
In return, Tottenham has gained the right to sign Cardoso for a fixed fee of around $33 million, which is considered a discounted price for his services by both parties. However, if Spurs don’t want to sign him, they will have a sell-on clause that allows them to earn a certain percentage of a future transfer.
Cardoso, 22, is considered a rising star for the USMNT who was included in this summer’s Copa America roster but played just 68 minutes before the team was eliminated from the competition’s group stage. He is looking to carve out a spot in the USA’s midfield, which may be in need of a defensive midfielder as 2022 World Cup captain Tyler Adams is once again sidelined with a back injury.
This is a strange transfer as there is no guarantee that Cardoso will join the Premier League team involved in the deal. Spurs probably come out as the early winners of this move as they will either get a player who can meet their needs or spend some money on someone who has never played for them.
However, if the deal goes through, Cardoso will complete one of the most spectacular transfers of a USMNT player in recent years, while Betis will also come out as a big winner. They signed the midfielder from Brazil Internacional last winter for a fee of around $6.3 million and will make a huge profit if the deal goes through.
How common is a deal like this?
Premier League clubs rarely enter into such agreements, although agreements where the clubs agree a fixed fee in advance are not inherently uncommon in other parts of the football world. Sometimes they take the form of buy-back clauses, in which the selling club has the option to re-sign the player they have transferred to the buying club. However, this will not be the case with Cardoso’s potential transfer to Tottenham.
However, it is extremely unusual for a club to accept a ‘sell-on’ clause for a player who has never signed a contract with them, especially at the top level of the game.
