The beginning of the new financial year in LaLiga has allowed Atlético Madrid the financial margin to drop roughly €100 million on three new signings. Álex Baena and Matteo Ruggeri have already been announced as new Atlético players on five-year contracts, while Johnny Cardoso reportedly signed his own five-year deal on Wednesday before heading on vacation.
However, despite months of rumors, Tottenham and Argentina center-back Cristian Romero will not join this trio at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano next season.
That’s according to Picu Díaz at Diario AS, who reported Wednesday that Atlético, frustrated by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s refusal to negotiate for the star defender, are moving on to “other targets” to reinforce Diego Simeone’s defense.
Romero, under contract at Spurs until 2027, has long been earmarked as Atleti’s top transfer target this summer. The club began sounding out the World Cup winner over a possible move in November, and Simeone had been in regular contact with his compatriot to gauge his interest in joining the Rojiblancos — interest sufficient enough to convince the club to make an effort for his signature.
Months before he helped Spurs win the UEFA Europa League and thus achieve Champions League qualification, Romero organized an interview with Argentine journalist Gastón Edul, in which he revealed his dream of playing in LaLiga. For a while, it seemed as if this transfer was a matter of “when,” not “if.”
However, Díaz reports that Atlético have not lodged a formal offer for Romero — something Fabrizio Romano corroborated Wednesday — because Spurs warned them against doing so:
Romero was very keen on the possibility of signing for Atlético, Cuti wanted to come to Atlético, Cholo was delighted with the possible signing, and a few weeks ago, the club made a formal inquiry to Tottenham to understand whether there was a real chance for Romero to leave England.
Tottenham’s response was categorical: they were not going to sell Cuti Romero. They asked Atlético not to make a formal offer, because they were not going to enter into negotiations with Atlético, who were willing to spend a significant amount of money to sign the Argentine.
There you have it. Atlético are neither in a position to meet an asking price north of €80 million, nor can the club afford to negotiate with Levy all summer while other options — like Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapié, off the top of my head — remain in director of football Carlos Bucero’s sights.
Cuti Romero is among the best central defenders on the planet. Despite his unfortunate injury record, his combination of strength, aggression, and ball-playing ability is tailor-made for a Simeone defense. But Atlético have a lot of work to do, and a lot of signings still to make, not just in the defensive line.
Reinildo, César Azpilicueta, and Axel Witsel have all left the club following the expiration of their contracts, while Rodrigo Riquelme has joined Real Betis and club icon Ángel Correa joined Liga MX side Tigres on Wednesday. The work of reshaping the squad this summer is only half-done.