Atletico Madrid have emerged as the clear frontrunners to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero after a deal with Inter Milan broke down.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that Inter’s pursuit collapsed after the Italian club failed to sell Benjamin Pavard to raise the necessary funds.
Romano was direct in his assessment: “I would put Atletico Madrid way way ahead of Inter today for Cuti Romero, because Inter had a deal in place with Tottenham for Romero in terms of club to club agreement for €40m, but never got a green light together with the player.”
He added that the reason Inter stalled was straightforward: “Because Inter didn’t sell a player. They were needing to sell Benjamin Pavard in order to let Romero join the club.”
Romano confirmed that Atletico have already moved decisively to fill the void left by Inter’s failure to progress their interest.
“What I can tell you today is that Atletico Madrid already started club-to-club negotiations with Tottenham for Romero. First official bid rejected. There will be a new official bid incoming for Romero. Atletico Madrid are working out how to get Romero.”
Romero is said to be keen on joining Diego Simeone’s side, with reports suggesting the Argentine has a secret clause in his Spurs contract that gives preferential treatment to the big three Spanish clubs.
Simeone has long admired Romero, viewing the World Cup winner as a natural fit for Atletico’s aggressive defensive identity and a leader capable of immediately improving their back line.
Tottenham have not been caught off guard by this development, having already moved to strengthen their defensive options with the signings of Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi, while a new deal for Micky van de Ven is also reportedly close.
Romero’s departure had briefly attracted attention from an unlikely quarter, with Arsenal also reported to have monitored the Spurs captain, drawing uncomfortable comparisons to the Sol Campbell transfer saga from years past.
With less than a month remaining in the transfer window, the situation is moving quickly and a resolution is expected before the deadline closes.
Atletico’s opening bid may have been rejected but Romano’s update leaves little doubt over where the Argentine is heading, with a second offer set to arrive imminently.