Atlético Madrid have taken a significant step toward pulling off one of the summer’s marquee deals, with reports indicating personal terms have been settled with Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, a major boost to their pursuit of the Argentine.
Diego Simeone’s side are said to have ramped up talks after it became clear Romero was willing to leave North London this window. That’s seen Atlético overtake Inter Milan, who had previously looked best-placed to land the centre-back.
Inter had been out in front after striking a fee with Spurs reportedly worth around £38m, but stalled talks over personal terms with the player opened the door for Atlético to swoop in and win him over instead.
Romero is understood to have given the green light to a four-year deal, with wages set to roughly mirror what he currently earns at Tottenham. Getting the salary question settled clears one of the trickiest hurdles and has boosted belief the transfer can now go through.
A key driver behind his willingness to move is said to be the prospect of linking up with fellow Argentine Diego Simeone. The World Cup winner has reportedly long held Simeone in high regard and sees working under him as a natural next step.
Talks between the two clubs are described as heading in a positive direction. Spurs are holding firm on their asking price, refusing to budge below the figure Inter had agreed, but Atlético are said to be closing the gap on meeting those terms.
To help fund the move and free up squad space, Atlético are already trimming their ranks. Left-back Matteo Ruggeri looks set for Aston Villa in a deal worth roughly £22m, with Villa hunting defensive cover amid continued speculation over Lucas Digne’s future at PSG. Ruggeri, despite a solid spell in Madrid, has become surplus following the arrival of Alejandro Grimaldo.
More departures could follow. Right-back Nahuel Molina is also open to leaving, and while several Premier League clubs have kept tabs on him, Roma have reportedly moved to the front of the queue with advanced talks now underway. The Serie A side turned to Molina after missing out on Feyenoord’s Givairo Read, whose asking price proved too steep.
With exits picking up pace and Romero’s terms already understood to be agreed, Atlético are growing increasingly confident of getting the deal over the line in the coming weeks. A completed transfer would give Simeone one of the continent’s top centre-backs and close the book on Romero’s spell at Tottenham, with both clubs expected to push hard over the coming days to finalise what could be one of the window’s headline moves.
