Romero’s Tottenham spell set to end with Atlético move
Cristian Romero is set to leave Tottenham for Atlético Madrid after the clubs agreed a package in the region of £34.2m (€40m), including add-ons, for the centre-back, according to Sky Sports.
The deal in principle includes a 15 per cent sell-on clause. Atlético have been long-term admirers of the Argentina international, while Tottenham had been expected to allow their captain to leave if the right offer arrived. Romero’s Spurs contract was due to run until the summer of 2029.
Spurs set to take a lower fee
Tottenham signed Romero permanently from Atalanta for around £42m in 2021, meaning the proposed fee is lower than the amount paid for him. Speaking on Sky Sports’ Tottenham summer special podcast, Michael Bridge of Sky Sports News said Spurs would not receive the value he believed Romero’s ability warranted.
Bridge noted that Luka Vuskovic, who made no competitive appearances for Spurs, was sold to Brighton for more than Romero because the buyer was a Premier League club. Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara also said on the podcast that the club should move on from Romero.
Romero has made 124 appearances for Spurs across five seasons, scoring 12 goals. He has also been shown four Premier League red cards.
Arsenal interest did not progress
Inter Milan and Arsenal were among the clubs to have been interested in Romero. However, Sky Sports reported that Arsenal’s interest did not progress beyond that stage, with Tottenham reluctant to sell their captain to a Premier League side, particularly their north London rivals.
Bridge said there had been talk that Romero would have accepted a move to Arsenal, but there were no club-to-club talks. The last transfer negotiated directly between the two clubs came 49 years ago, when Pat Jennings joined Arsenal for a reported £45,000.
Tottenham had appeared to lay the groundwork for Romero’s exit following the arrivals of defenders Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi.
A difficult final season
Romero’s final season as captain was not straightforward. He was sent off twice during Spurs’ Premier League relegation battle and missed the end of the campaign because of a knee injury.
He also drew criticism from supporters when he appeared set to watch his boyhood club Belgrano play River Plate in the Argentina Primera Division Apertura final rather than attend Tottenham’s crucial final game against Everton. Romero did attend the match, in which Spurs secured Premier League survival.
Sky Sports News senior football news editor Lyall Thomas said on the Tottenham summer special podcast that it was time for Spurs to move into a new era. Thomas added that the move suited Romero because he would work with his compatriot Diego Simeone at Atlético.
For Tottenham, the agreement would bring Romero’s five-year spell at the club to an end.
