Barcelona make Cristian Romero decision as 'huge' Tottenham demand revealed

Barcelona have withdrawn from the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero this summer, sources have told Football Insider.

The 28-year-old has been a leading target for the Spanish giants this summer as they aim to bolster their centre-back options due to his availability.

However, they now look set to back out of the race, potentially opening the door for one of their European rivals to swoop and lure him away from the Premier League.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, Tottenham's lofty demands mean Barcelona are unlikely to be able to afford a deal for Romero.

The centre-back still has three years reamining on his contract in North London, and remains highly regarded at Spurs despite his desire to move on this summer.

Any deal for his departure will have to be on Tottenham's terms, and given Barcelona's recent financial difficulties, there is a feeling they may now be set to miss out.

How much will Tottenham demand for Cristian Romero?

Former Tottenham scout Bryan King told Football Insider last month that Spurs could demand a fee as high as £100million for Romero, considering the money involed in other deals.

The actual fee is likely to be well below that number, although it will still take a signficiant offer for Tottenham to let him go, likely closer to around £50million.

While that asking price may be seen as achievable for some of his European admirers, Barcelona will struggle to stump up the funds, and could cool their interest as a result.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "There'll be a lot of clubs who would be interested in Romero. Roberto de Zerbi's admitted that the player is likely to move on.

"Atletico Madrid are long-term admirers of Romero. Barcelona have also been credited with an interest in the Argentine as well.

"But a lot will depend on Tottenham's asking price for Romero. That might be difficult for Barcelona to do as they're asking for a huge fee.

"We know Barcelona have had financial difficulties recently, so whether or not they'd be able to stump up the funds for Romero, it looks unlikely at the moment.

"Atletico Madrid would be interested if they can try and get a deal done and, as I said, if they do want to strengthen their backline further I'm sure they would consider making a move for Romero."

Which other clubs are interested in signing Romero?

With Barcelona likely to pull out of the race to sign Romero, a number of their rivals will be placed on high alert, with mutliple clubs now lining up potential swoops.

Spanish clubs including Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have both been long-term admirers of the centre-back, and could now look to capitalise on his availability.

Meanwhile, Football Insider revealed on 2 August that Inter Milan are lining up a deal for Romero despite having already agreed to sign a centre-back this summer.

Inter have been widely tipped to make a move for the Spurs man, but their pursuit was thrown into doubt following the arrival of former Man City star John Stones.

However, that signing is unlikely to have an impact on their pursuit of Romero, with a move to Serie A also likely to appeal to the defender.