‘Cristian Romero contract talks expected at Tottenham as Atletico give up’
Cristian Romero is expected to hold fresh contract talks with Tottenham chiefs after Atletico Madrid ended their transfer pursuit and moved onto new targets.
Spurs have already had a busy summer with Thomas Frank hired as their new boss, but more incomings and outgoings are expected in the coming months as the new season edges ever closer.
Frank will undoubtedly want to bolster his defensive options this summer after their 17th-placed finish in the Premier League last term, and so keeping Argentina international Romero will be imperative.
Former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider back in March that Romero would be open to a move to Real Madrid this summer, as he is on their list of targets, but it was the red and white side of the Spanish capital that soon looked primed to make a move for his services.
Football Insider revealed in April that Atletico Madrid were plotting a move for Romero this summer, and his Spurs future was mooted as uncertain amid Atletico’s interest earlier this month, yet it now looks as if he could be set to extend his stay in North London beyond his current contract, which runs until 2027.
Atletico are not targeting a move for Romero anymore
Football Insider recently revealed that Tottenham are standing firm on their £60million valuation of star defender Romero, and Atletico Madrid had been unsuccessful in their early attempts to land him following talks.
It now looks as if the La Liga giants have moved on, with The Athletic reporting that Atletico, who had been front-runners to sign the 27-year-old all summer, have “decided to stop their pursuit” of his services altogether, while they are already starting to track new centre-back targets.
The same report states that higher-ups at the Metropolitano Stadium believe that Tottenham are now set to try and tie Romero down to a new contract at the club, after they did not even formally approach Spurs about potentially signing the Argentina international.
Keeping Romero would be a huge boost for Spurs
Football Insider verdict
Romero has impressed in a Tottenham shirt since his initial 2021 loan move from Atalanta, and Spurs’ chiefs believe he is “one of the best defenders in the world” [The Times] right now.
It is difficult to disagree, as despite his recent injury issues, he has upheld a reputation for being a bruising, all-action centre-back during his time at the club so far, and so it is no surprise that Atletico have been seriously interested in his services.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards |
| 124 | 7 | 3 | 33 |
The 27-year-old featured just 18 times in the Premier League last term, which may have pushed Spurs to accepting a decent bid from the Spanish side this summer, but Daniel Levy needs to win supporters over again, and will no doubt want to back Frank by keeping hold of a key man like Romero.
Tottenham are clearly serious about improving next season as they return to the Champions League, with West Ham playmaker Mohammed Kudus already signed and Morgan Gibbs-White set to join him in North London, so extending Romero’s contract and making sure he is at the club come 2 September will be another huge boost to their chances of success.