Barcelona consider surprise Tottenham transfer hijack after agreeing crucial deal

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero could be the subject of a bidding war following reports that Barcelona are considering entering the race for the Argentine.

Romero swapped Atalanta for Tottenham in 2021, and since then he has scored 13 goals and made 156 appearances, while helping them win the Europa League last year.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the centre-back wants to end his adventure at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a move to Europe looking likely.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have covered their tracks in defence after spending £52m on Brighton and Hove Albion centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke, while TEAMtalk revealed this week that Micky van de Ven has agreed a new five-year deal with Spurs.

The north London team also have Kevin Danso as a centre-back option, although they did sell highly-rated defender Luka Vuskovic for £46m last month.

In recent weeks, Romero has been linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and even Arsenal, although a switch to Tottenham’s London rivals seems fanciful.

The former Juventus player, who has also played in Serie A with Genoa, still has just under three years left on his current deal so if he does go, Tottenham want a good £40m for his services.

TEAMtalk previously outlined how Romero’s move to Inter was stalling over the player’s personal terms and now Fabrizio Romano has echoed something similar.

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Barcelona consider Cristian Romero pursuit

The transfer expert states that Inter are still “far away” from striking a deal for Romero and that Atletico are getting ready to send a fresh offer to Tottenham for his signature.

However, after Barcelona green-lit centre-back Ronald Araujo’s loan move to Liverpool this week, the Blaugrana are mulling over whether or not to bid for Romero – who has been on their radar for quite some time, without ever being a top target.

Romano said on his YouTube channel on Saturday, “Inter, at the moment, are far away. For Inter, it’s a very complicated deal, because of several reasons. Also, because Inter are not selling players, and so, at the moment, they cannot proceed.

“Atletico Madrid are preparing a new official bid to Tottenham. They already sent a bid to Spurs, and they are preparing a second proposal. But Atletico Madrid, at the moment, still don’t have any agreement closed with Romero.

“They are talking with Romero, they are talking with the agent, but still no agreement closed. So now, if Barcelona want to enter in the Cuti Romero race, they still have space.

“They still have the possibility. But this will depend on Barca. Now, Cuti Romero is in negotiations with Atletico Madrid as a priority, so this one will depend on Barca, whether they want to enter or not.”

Romero added that with Araujo seemingly heading to Liverpool on loan, that saves them a “big salary”, with the Uruguay international reportedly on wages in excess of £200,000 a week.

He describes this as a “crucial deal” for Barca but whether they make a concrete move for Romero remains to be seen.

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