Tottenham ‘pre-order’ US international Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis for £21m

Spurs have two-week window to buy midfielder next summer after securing option in Giovani Lo Celso talks. Plus, top agent slashes commission

Tottenham Hotspur have negotiated an option to buy United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso in next summer’s window, according to Real Betis president Ángel Haro.
Spurs sold Giovani Lo Celso to Betis last week and Haro revealed that, during the talks, the Spanish club accepted an offer on Cardoso that can be triggered with a set fee of €25 million (£21 million).
Cardoso, 22, was born in America to Brazilian parents and moved to South America as a baby before starting his football career there. He moved to Betis from Brazilian club Internacional last season and his performances have put him on the radar of other European teams.
The window for Spurs’ option is two weeks during 2025, with other clubs able to compete for him when it expires.
“Johnny is a player who is of interest not only to Tottenham, but to many other teams, who has great potential and in this case, within the Gio operation, they asked us for an option to buy for a value that was important and interesting for us and we did give them that option,” Haro said.
Cardoso has played for the US national team, earning 15 caps, having broken into the senior game at Internacional.
In a relatively frugal summer, agents’ desperation to get deals completed was shown in one Premier League transfer where the intermediary for the player was willing to accept a one per cent commission.
Agents usually ask for around 10 per cent of their client’s annual salary for their work in making deals happen. Some can command more for in-demand players, while others can settle for much less rather than lose the deal altogether.
Telegraph Sport has been told by one club source involved in the deal that the supposed top agent involved took a 10th of the usual fees, with the rest swallowed up by family members of the player who also worked on the deal.
Newcastle United full-back Jamal Lewis has joined Brazilian club São Paulo on loan for the season.
“When I heard about this opportunity, I immediately told my agent that I wanted to come to Brazil,” Lewis, a Luton-born Northern Ireland international, said. “It’s an honour to play for a giant like São Paulo and to be the first British player in the club’s history.
“I’m really excited to play for a club that has won three world cups,” he added, referring to São Paulo’s one Club World Cup and two Intercontinental Cup victories. “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans and contributing to the team.”