Tottenham Hotspur’s agreement with Real Betis regarding Johnny Cardoso has been described as a ‘win-win’ deal for the club by football finance expert Dan Plumley.
As reported by prominent US journalist Tom Bogert, Spurs have agreed a pre-arranged fixed fee of $33m (£24.7m) with Real Betis for the United States international midfielder.
The deal can be triggered if and when Spurs want to sign the player in the future and even if they decide against a move, they will still receive a percentage of any fee Betis obtain for Cardoso.
Capped 17 times for the United States, Cardoso came through the ranks at Brazilian side Internacional but has enjoyed a rapid rise since moving to Spain with Betis in January.
The 22-year-old — best known for his composure on the ball and defensive intelligence — has played 23 times for Betis across all competitions so far, scoring once and providing two assists.
Spurs strike ‘win-win’ deal for Cardoso
US international Cardoso could join Tottenham in the near future. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)Right now, there are few — if any — deals quite like the one Daniel Levy has struck for Cardoso.
However, they could become more commonplace if Spurs experience success.
“It’s a really unique agreement,” Plumley told Tottenham News.
“I can’t think off of the top of my head of a similar deal that was structured like that so it is a rarity for sure.
“But it’s a really shrewd bit of business as well on the other side of it. I think [Giovani] Lo Celso was part of the deal as well to get him off of the books and over to Real Betis. He was one that perhaps needed to leave.
“So to do that, then have first priority on an up-and-coming player that you think perhaps could have potential in the future and if you don’t decide to go in for that player, you still have a percentage of the sell-on, I think that is a really shrewd bit of business from Spurs.
“Maybe we will see a bit more of that in the future as you say, but it is certainly unique at the minute and it is almost a win-win for the club.
“If they do decide to go for that player, they have first priority. If they don’t think it’s the right move for them and that player moves on, they’ve got a little bit of business from it as well.
“I think it is a really shrewd bit of business if it plays out well for them.”
Top photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images