Tottenham more than likely to take up £21m option to sign La Liga midfielder who could replace Rodrigo Bentancur

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham Hotspur have a £21 million option to sign a midfielder from La Liga and he could be the perfect upgrade on Rodrigo Bentancur.

Spurs have started planning how they are going to go about improving Ange Postecoglou’s squad and one of those upgrades could come in midfield. The Australian manager already has a plethora of midfield options so it would require an exit in this department.

The North London club have not yet made a final decision over whether to bring in a new midfielder but it could mean either Bentancur or Yves Bissouma would need to be sold.

Tottenham expected to take up option to sign Johnny Cardoso

The Spurs News exclusively spoke to transfer insider Graeme Bailey of TBR Football, who believes that Tottenham are more than likely to take up their £21 million option to sign Johnny Cardoso.

Spurs agreed with Real Betis to have the option for Cardoso when they sold Giovani Lo Celso to the Spanish club last summer. Lo Celso returned to La Liga for a cut-price fee of £8.4 million plus add-ons.

A final decision regarding the 23-year-old has not yet been made by Spurs, however, the North London club are expected to make the deal happen next summer.

Bailey told the site: “I spoke to Spurs a few weeks ago, and their line is that it’s more than likely/distinctly possible. I think it’ll be one they assess as they go, I don’t think the decision has been made yet.

“They are looking constantly, it seems like a good deal they’ve got in place. My instinct is that they’ll do the deal no matter what. They’ll take him and even if he has to be loaned out, I think Spurs will take him because the deal is too good not to.”

The Lilywhites’ option to sign the United States international only becomes active in June 2025, so a move in January is not expected.

Can Johnny Cardoso upgrade on Rodrigo Bentancur?

Bissouma and Bentancur are Tottenham’s two current options for the number six role with Postecoglou rotating between the two this season.

Bissouma has never quite hit the heights expected of him and Bentancur is in the same boat since his ACL injury suffered in the early stages of 2023.

Meanwhile, Cardoso’s performances in Spain have been catching the eye of supporters and there is a strong possibility he could be the man to replace both Bentancur and Bissouma.

Cardoso’s defensive stats see him come out on top of the Tottenham duo in most departments, suggesting he could be an immediate upgrade on both.