Cristian Romero faces an uncertain future at Tottenham Hotspur, and Atletico Madrid appear to be circling north London like a vulture.
Cristian Romero faces an uncertain future at Tottenham Hotspur(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur appear to be preparing for the potential departure of Cristian Romero. The 28-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid for a while now as Diego Simeone looks to bolster his backline.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, as quoted by Sport Witness, the Lilywhites have softened their stance on Romero, slashing his price tag from €70m to €30m (£60.3m to £25.9m). The report claims that the ‘considerable reduction’ suddenly makes him available to Atletico Madrid, a year after an enquiry was snubbed by Spurs.
As it stands, it remains unclear whether Johan Lange would accept such a fee, but Tottenham are said to have accepted that it’s now ‘best to end his time’ in north London. In March, Diego Simeone fanned the flames by revealing that he’s a ‘big fan’ of Romero.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Los Colchoneros’ clash against the Lilywhites in the second leg of the Champions League last-16, he said: “I speak from a point of view as an Argentina fan.
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“I admire his personality, his character, his defensive work and his football ability on the ball. As a fan of Argentina, I have seen him play more games for the national team than I have for Spurs, but I’m a big fan of him, for sure.”
Then, after the game, Romero was quizzed on a potential transfer to Atletico. Speaking to Olé in the mixed zone, the Argentine downplayed speculation but refused to rule out a move to the Metropolitano.
Tottenham could sell one of Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero this summer(Image: (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images))
“The truth is, I’m focused on the situation we’re in. I have a lot of respect and affection for the club, and I want to finish the season in the best way possible,” he said. “We’ll see later, but the most important thing now is to recharge.”
At the end of last season, the Tottenham captain sparked doubt over his future when he jetted off to Argentina for medical treatment on a knee injury that he had been nursing. Romero was heavily scrutinised when it was reported that he would miss the final game of the Premier League campaign and instead watch his boyhood club, Belgrano, face River Plate in the Primera Division final on the same day.
Following backlash, Romero returned to north London to watch his side defeat Everton and seal top-flight status. Speaking to football.london at the time, Ciro Palermo claimed his client had no intention of missing the relegation showdown.
Cristian Romero may have played his final match for Tottenham(Image: Getty Images)
The defender’s agent also insisted that he remains committed to the club. A week or so earlier, however, Roberto De Zerbi couldn’t guarantee that Romero would still be at Tottenham next season.
Ahead of the defeat at Stamford Bridge, the Spurs boss told reporters: “First of all now the focus is Chelsea. Second point, Romero is a great player, and the most important is the behaviour and how much the player wants to stay in this club.
“We are going to take all the decisions after this season and after the Everton game…”
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