Spanish side Atletico Madrid have reportedly come to terms with Tottenham to sign defender Cristian Romero in a deal worth €40 million ($46m).
Atletico will pay a fixed €35 million, with the potential for an additional €5 million in add ons, to sign the Argentinian to acquire the former Spurs captain. Romero spent the 5 seasons with the Premier League club, but had long been coveted by Atletico and manager Diego Simeone.
The 28 year old figures to feature prominently with Atletico as their centre-back as the club hopes to improve upon their 4th place finish in La Liga last season.
Romero appeared in 7 games for Argentina at the most recent World Cup, and was also a key member of their 2022 championship winning side as well. Over the course of his career, he’s suited up for Belgrano, Genoa, and Atalanta before joining Tottenham in 2021.
Barring any setbacks with his medicals, Romero will now be under contract through the 2031 season. Tottenham is expected to retain a 15% sell off clause should Atletico move the defender prior to his contract expiring as part of the deal. Romero is currently on his way to Madrid where he will complete his physical and put pen to paper on Thursday.
Amongst the clubs that showed an interest in the veteran back was Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Barcelona. Atletico were close to signing Romero last year, but the reported €80 million price tag that Tottenham was asking proved to be too rich for their liking. Instead, the Spurs would undergo a relegation battle for most of the season, which ultimately softened their ask this summer.
Atletico has a club friendly with Marseille scheduled for Friday at 11:30am ET, and will look to kick off their 2026-27 season on Wednesday, August 19th against Malaga.
Photo: Bryan Berlin. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.