An "absolute titan" has now emerged as a priority transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur, as they look to bring in a new defender following Cristian Romero's recent comments.
Spurs eyeing new defender after Cristian Romero outburst
Romero was very outspoken about the lack of business Tottenham did during the January transfer window, saying after the 2-2 draw against Manchester City: "Great effort from all my teammates yesterday, they were all incredible.
"I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially as we had only 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful."
Thomas Frank was left very light on options against Man City, with central midfielder Joao Palhinha having to slot in at centre-back, but Spurs were able to fight back to secure a 2-2 draw, with Dominic Solanlke bagging a brace in the second half.
Following Romero's recent outburst, South American journalist Gaston Edul has now suggested the captain is set to leave in the next transfer window, which would exacerbate the need to bring in a new centre-back.
According to a report from Spain, Tottenham have identified Athletic Club defender Aitor Paredes as one of their priority targets, with Frank an admirer of the centre-back, given his ability to play the ball out from defence.
The Spanish club are hesitant to sanction a departure, meaning they have set an asking price of €40m (£35m), but that should be an affordable fee for the Premier League side.
The need to sign a new defender stems from the uncertainty surrounding Romero's future, while Micky van de Ven is also of interest to some of Europe's top clubs.
Paredes could be solid addition to Spurs' defence
It would be a gamble to let Romero leave this summer, despite his recent comments, given that he is ranked by FotMob as Tottenham's best-performing player in the Premier League this season.
The 27-year-old has also averaged 1.5 interceptions per 90, the highest number in the squad, so Spurs shouldn't take any drastic action, but if he does depart, the Athletic Club star could be a solid replacement.
Journalist Luis Calabor Nunez is certainly an admirer of the Spaniard, describing him as an "absolute titan", and he has been a key player for Athletic Club, starting the last seven La Liga matches, while also making seven appearances in the Champions League.
Having averaged a combined 2.7 tackles and interceptions in La Liga, the third-highest figure in the Athletic Club squad, Paredes is clearly a very solid defender, but Tottenham's number one priority should be to keep hold of Romero, given the level of his performances this season.