Cristian Romero is set to undergo a medical ahead of his move to Atletico Madrid. Standard Sport understands a deal has been agreed for the Tottenham captain that could reach up to £34million with add-ons and also includes a 15 per cent sell-on clause. He had attracted shock interest from Arsenal, but Spurs were never willing to sell to their north London rivals.
Romero's Tottenham exit
Romero is poised to exit Tottenham after five seasons and 156 total appearances across all competitions and will become Atletico's fourth signing of the summer. The 28-year-old was named Spurs skipper by former boss Thomas Frank following Heung-min Son's exit for Major League Soccer (MLS) and penned a new four-year contract only last summer, but will now leave just 12 months into that deal.
He appeared 23 times in the Premier League last season as Spurs narrowly avoided a disastrous relegation to the Championship on the final day, but missed Spurs' final six games due to a knee injury. Romero sat out just one match as Argentina reached a second successive World Cup final in North America earlier this summer, losing 1-0 to Spain after extra time.
Background and departure details
The former Atalanta defender, who joined Spurs from Serie A for £42.5m in 2022, was scheduled to return for pre-season training this week after taking extended leave following the World Cup. Romero was often a contentious figure during his time at Spurs, criticised for his poor disciplinary record on the pitch and having angered supporters when he flew to Argentina in the week leading up to their final league game of the season, with the club's Premier League status on the line.
He later returned to London and was in attendance as Tottenham secured Premier League safety at rivals West Ham's expense with a crucial 1-0 home win against Everton. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi praised the support Romero provided him despite spending the majority of his time in charge recovering from injury, but added that he would not stand in his way if he decided to leave the club.
Further Spurs departures
Fellow defender Djed Spence is also set to leave Spurs as he closes in on a move to Inter Milan, while Guglielmo Vicario continues to be linked with a switch to Juventus.
