A year ago Bologna tried, then he ended up in the sights of Roma and Juventus. For João Lucas de Souza Cardoso, known simply as Johnny Cardosothe time may have finally come to land in Italy.
Born in 2001, the boy from Denville (New Jersey) has quickly adapted to European football and has impressed with the Betis Sevilla jersey, which bought him for 6 million euros from Internacional de Porto Alegre (the team where he grew up) in the last winter transfer window. The goal was to temporarily replace the injured Guido Rodriguez, and the result was better than expected: 17 appearances in the league with 1 goal and 2 assists. Important numbers and performances, which have made his price rise also because the Brazilian club has retained 20% of the rights of a future transfer.
Fiorentina is now on his trail, evaluating several names to strengthen the midfield. Cardoso has an international profile that is very popular: young, physically strong, good with the ball at his feet. His 15 appearances for the US national team are already a guarantee of reliability, the only obstacle could be the price, because the Andalusian club will not accept offers under 20 million. The good relationship between the two clubs could be decisive in this sense.