Atletico Madrid have struck a preliminary agreement with Tottenham over defender Cristian Romero, according to GIVEMESPORT.
Spurs are willing to sell the 28-year-old for around £35 million, and Atletico are now negotiating directly with the club, with a formal bid expected soon. Romero openly wanted out last summer and even said a La Liga move interested him, and though Atletico held back then, they’ve picked the interest back up recently.
Tottenham can afford to let him go after bringing in Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi to bolster the backline, plus Micky van der Ven is reportedly close to signing a new deal, talks are advancing well even though nothing’s been signed yet, with Roberto De Zerbi helping convince him to stay. Romero’s contract runs to 2029, and given Brighton got £52 million for Van Hecke with just a year left on his deal, Spurs could have pushed for more, but they’ve kept the valuation modest since a departure suits both sides.
Inter Milan have also spoken with Tottenham but haven’t agreed personal terms with Romero, who was a key figure in Argentina’s run to back-to-back World Cup finals this summer. Sources say Romero’s preference is Atletico, and he’s now waiting to see if the two clubs can settle on a fee. Arsenal have discussed him internally too but haven’t made contact with Spurs, who’ve made clear any approach from their rivals would be turned down flat.
Romero has become one of the Premier League’s standout defenders since joining, with center-back partner Micky van der Ven repeatedly calling him world-class, someone who leads, gives full effort, and isn’t intimidated by anyone. Romero arrived on loan from Atalanta in August 2021 before the move became permanent a year later, and he’s since made 156 appearances, captaining the side to Europa League glory in 2024/25 under Ange Postecoglou.
