Tottenham have reached a verbal agreement with Serie A side Inter over a €40m (£34m) deal for Cristian Romero, according to ESPN Argentina.
Romero has spent five seasons with Tottenham and was made captain by Thomas Frank a year ago following Son Heung-min’s departure. The 28-year-old has privately expressed his desire to leave Spurs this summer, and despite interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, a move has yet to materialise.
Verbal agreement with Inter
According to the report, Spurs have agreed a €40m (£34m) deal with Inter for the Argentina international, though Romero is yet to reach an agreement over personal terms with the Serie A side.
Inter have already added John Stones this week on a free transfer after he left Manchester City at the end of last season. Tottenham, meanwhile, have strengthened Roberto De Zerbi’s defensive options this summer with the signings of Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi.
De Zerbi respects Romero’s wishes
Speaking earlier this week, De Zerbi said he would respect Romero’s desire to leave Spurs. ‘At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings,’ De Zerbi said.
‘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! But 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.
‘After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me. Like for Vicario, like for every player. Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players.’
