Atletico Madrid hold talks with Tottenham to sign Cristian Romero

Atlético Madrid have opened formal club-to-club negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur to sign club captain Cristian Romero, according to BBC Sport. Diego Simeone has identified the central defender as his primary defensive target to shore up a back line that conceded 81 goals across four competitions during the 2025/26 campaign, per Yahoo Sports. Yet, this pursuit unfolds amid rival interest from Inter Milan and the shadow of exploratory contact from North London rivals Arsenal, complicating what threatens to be a contentious exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While Sky Sports reports that figures have been discussed between Tottenham and Atlético without a formal bid landing, talkSPORT details that personal terms have already been agreed with the Argentina international. Inter Milan remain deeply interested, having previously reached a verbal agreement with Spurs over a fee in the region of £34 million, according to Sports Mole. However, the Italian club's progress stalled over personal terms and a requirement to sell players first, leaving Atlético as the clear frontrunners in the race, as noted by Softfootball. Meanwhile, The Standard and Football indicate that Arsenal made a shock inquiry to the player's representatives. Sports Mole highlights that Tottenham's hierarchy view a cross-town sale to their fierce rivals as a non-starter with a slim chance of success.

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Completing the transfer requires Atlético to generate necessary wage space and transfer funds through outbound business. According to Yahoo Sports, Atlético have agreed to sell midfielder Thiago Almada to River Plate for €20m, alongside proposed departures for Nahuel Molina to Roma and Matteo Ruggeri to Aston Villa. These exits are projected to clear roughly €14m in gross salary from the Spanish club's wage bill, satisfying the financial preconditions needed to accommodate Romero. At Tottenham, head coach Roberto De Zerbi faces a bloated centre-back department following the £52m arrival of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, alongside Marcos Senesi, while Micky van de Ven nears a new long-term contract running until 2029, according to football.london and BBC Sport.

Romero's prospective exit brings a definitive close to a five-year North London tenure defined by high-level accolades and late turbulence. Having signed a contract extension until 2029 last August after succeeding Son Heung-min as club captain, the 28-year-old was instrumental in Tottenham's 2024–25 UEFA Europa League triumph, where he claimed both competition best player and final best player honors, as reported by Sports Mole and Newsbytesapp. Yet that institutional standing eroded during a difficult 2025/26 campaign where Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation on the final day, with Romero collecting two red cards and missing the run-in due to a knee injury, per BBC Sport and Sports Mole.

Friction intensified when Romero publicly criticized the club board's sporting project, expressing frustration over a perceived lack of ambition to consistently challenge for trophies, according to Sports Mole. Further strain emerged when he traveled to Argentina during the decisive relegation run-in to continue injury rehabilitation and follow his boyhood club Belgrano, an episode that provoked fan criticism regarding his commitment, as detailed by Sports Mole.

"At the beginning of my time in April, I had one million individual meetings! And [the players] told me what was their idea. I said: 'Yes, help me to stay up and then I help you to leave. If you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me!'"

Roberto De Zerbi, Head Coach, via Sky Sports

Despite the backlash from supporters, De Zerbi defended his captain's professionalism.

"Romero with me was unbelievable. Top, in his behaviour, his respect. He suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It's not true,"

Roberto De Zerbi, Head Coach, via Sky Sports

De Zerbi confirmed, adding that he intended to honor an agreement to respect the player's desire to depart following their Premier League survival.

Whether Atlético Madrid can formally finalize their pursuit depends entirely on completing their remaining player sales before the summer transfer deadline closes.

Financial Hurdles and Valuation Discrepancies

While negotiations gather pace, the financial structure of the transfer involves multiple moving parts across European leagues. According to Yahoo Sports and The Standard, Atlético Madrid prepared an initial offer of €30 million and are prepared to increase their bid to €40 million. In comparison, Inter Milan previously neared an agreement close to a fee of approximately £34 million or €40 million before their progress stalled over personal terms and wage requirements, per Sports Mole and The Standard. Tottenham Hotspur value the central defender at roughly £35 million, as reported by football.london.

• Atlético Madrid's initial offer: €30m, prepared to rise to €40m (Yahoo Sports, Marca)
• Inter Milan's previous verbal agreement: Approximately £34m / €40m (Sports Mole, The Standard)
• Tottenham Hotspur's asking price: Around £35m (football.london)
• Thiago Almada's transfer fee to River Plate: €20m total, with Atlético receiving €10m (Yahoo Sports)

To bridge these figures and accommodate the Argentina international's salary, Diego Simeone's side relies on outgoing squad adjustments. Yahoo Sports and Sky Sports note that Nahuel Molina is expected to join Roma and Matteo Ruggeri is closing in on a move to Aston Villa, alongside Thiago Almada's departure to River Plate. The next step depends on Atlético finalizing these player sales to generate the necessary funds and complete their official bid before the transfer window closes.