Atletico Madrid are closing in on their third signing of the summer, after reaching an agreement to sign midfielder Johnny Cardoso. The USMNT star has had an agreement in place on personal terms for several weeks, but after several weeks of talks, Los Colchoneros have found a deal with Betis.
Cardoso, 23, arrived at Betis just 18 months ago, but made an immediate impact in La Liga, and quickly became a starter under Manuel Pellegrini. Last summer Betis agreed to insert a €25m €25m buy clause in his deal with Tottenham Hotspur in return for a discount on Giovani Lo Celso, but Cardoso’s desire to move to Atletico has halted any intentions Spurs had of making a move.
Atletico had been offering €25m plus variables for Cardoso, but Marca report that a deal has finally been reached for €30m plus variables based on short-term objectives. It is not yet clear how much that will amount to.
Cardoso has agreed to a five-year deal with Atletico, who have held an interest in Cardoso since early this season. He becomes their third permanent signing after Juan Musso and Clement Lenglet, and their first new player. Villarreal’s Alex Baena is next up on their priority list, and is expected to be their next signing.
🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Atlético Madrid remain confident of tempting Andrew Robertson to join the club. However, the player has not made up his mind yet.
He is enjoying his break at the moment and has a lot to think about. There could be more clarity by the end of the week.
[🎖️: @LewisSteele_ via…
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) June 24, 2025
The impact of the deal could be monumental for Atletico if all goes to plan. Simeone has been thirsting for an effective presence in midfield to anchor the team for some time since Koke Resurreccion has become an alternative rather than an answer. Belgian youngster Arthur Vermeeren was signed for that purpose, but Simeone discarded him after just six months.
Cardoso comes with more mileage at the top level, and while he still has plenty of room for growth, he has demonstrated he has the ability to cut it against big teams, including Atletico and Real Madrid this season no less. The imposing midfielder will bring legs, physicality and positional sense to the middle of the pitch, as well as safe circulation of the ball.
