‘Matter of Short Time’—Atletico Madrid Close to Signing USMNT Midfielder | OneFootball

Atlético Madrid are looking to leave behind their disappointing Club World Cup performance by getting to work on securing reinforcements for the 2025–26 season.

One day after exiting the summer tournament in the group stage, Atléti are reportedly hours away from completing their first transfer of the window, landing U.S. men's national team and Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

Marca reports that Atléti are ready to pay a fee of €30 million ($34.8 million) plus €2 million ($2.3 million) in add-ons to Real Betis to make Cardoso swap from green to red stripes on his kit in La Liga next season. Tom Bogert and Fabrizio Romano have also confirmed the reports.

Cardoso, who's currently representing the USMNT in the Gold Cup, is coming off an impressive season with Manuel Pellegrini's side. He featured in 28 La Liga matches, collecting 24 starts and also played a key role in Betis's charge to the UEFA Conference League final.

Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers were reportedly also interested in landing the 23-year-old midfielder, but in the end, Diego Simeone's side was Cardoso's preferred destination.

The New Jersey native is a product of Brazilian outfit Internacional's academy, where his parents are from originally. He made his professional debut with his childhood club in 2019 featured 144 times until his move to Spain in Jan. 2024.

Cardoso has 22 caps for the USMNT and if he continues his progression in La Liga under Simeone, there's a good shot he plays a significant role in Mauricio Pochettino's team come the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Now that it seems Cardoso's signing is a matter of time, Atléti will get to work on securing the reported transfer of Álex Baena, with a full agreement with Villarreal expected to happen soon.

Los Colchoneros will try to once again be contenders in La Liga next season, looking to challenge Real Madrid and current title-holders Barcelona.