Tottenham transfer news: Conflicting Cristian Romero claims emerge after £55.6m Atletico Madrid 'agreement'

Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid have apparently not agreed a fee for Argentine defender Cristian Romero despite reports to the contrary.

The former Atalanta BC and Juventus man has been persistently linked with a switch to the Spanish capital for a number of months now, as Atletico boss Diego Simeone pushes to link up with his compatriot.

Romero has now entered the final two years of his Tottenham contract, but the Lilywhites have slapped a £60m price tag on his head and are refusing to compromise on it.

However, a report from DobleAmarilla on Sunday stated that Atletico and Tottenham had come to an agreement in principle over a deal for Romero, who would move to La Liga in a deal worth a potential €65m (£55.6m).

The fee would allegedly be made up of a fixed amount of €55m (£47m) plus another €10m (£8.6m) in performance-related add-ons, and a 'successful outcome' was anticipated for the coming week.

Tottenham, Atletico 'have not' agreed Romero fee

Sky Sports News journalist Michael Bridge disputes those claims, though, reporting that Spurs and their Spanish counterparts have not struck a deal for the World Cup winner.

The Europa League winners appear to still be standing firm on their £60m valuation of the defender and would ideally like to agree a new contract, thus easing the pressure on the club to sell him in the near future.

If Romero and his camp cannot find an agreement over a new deal with Spurs, there is an argument to sell him now while his stock is at its highest, but there is no desperate need to find a buyer yet.

Tottenham forked out £44.5m to sign Romero permanently in the summer of 2022, one year after he arrived on loan from Atalanta BC, and the 27-year-old has now registered seven goals and three assists in 124 matches for the North London giants.

Injuries restricted Romero to just 26 appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, including 18 in the Premier League, but he was fit enough to play the full 90 in the Europa League final win over Manchester United.

Can Spurs afford to lose Romero this summer?

For all of Romero's passion and dogged defending, the South American can let himself down with over-aggression and poorly-timed tackles, as both Spurs and rival fans know all too well.

However, when linking arms with Micky van de Ven in his trusty central partnership, Romero was a key component of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham and will no doubt be firmly in Thomas Frank's plans for 2025-26 too.

Spurs have strengthened their defensive ranks with the permanent signing of Kevin Danso from Lens, but Romero's big-game experience and assertiveness will no doubt come in handy in the Champions League.

Therefore, unless Atletico submit a bid that is simply too good to be turned away, Spurs must do all in their power to keep Romero for the coming campaign before revisiting the situation in 2026 if need be.

Written by
Ben Knapton