Tottenham Hotspur are making progress on sales within their first-team squad after a busy summer of arrivals so far.
Spurs have brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali so far this summer, and Roberto De Zerbi is now looking to ship out some deadwood from his side to free up space for more new arrivals and shape up his squad for the season.
While the plan is to keep all their best players, despite consecutive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, at least one star will be on the move this summer, and the club are in direct talks to make a deal happen.
Tottenham and Inter in Romero Talks
According to a report by Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Inter Milan and Tottenham are in direct talks about a deal for Cristian Romero to return to Serie A.
The Argentine, who has been described as 'unbelievable', is '100% certain' to leave the club this summer after growing disillusioned with life in England as a result of the club's lack of competitiveness at the top level, and Spurs have already replaced him by bringing in Senesi and van Hecke.
There is an openness from all parties to get a deal done during the window, and it's understood that the player's agent and Inter's sporting director are both in Milan to thrash out the terms of a transfer.
Inter have shown a willingness to pay up to £40m for the World Cup winner, and there is total openness from the player's side about making the move to the San Siro.
Spurs are understood to be open to letting him leave for the right price, but it remains unclear if they would be willing to go that low to get him out of the door. Talks are ongoing, but there is a positive feeling between all parties that an agreement can be found soon.
Romero's Time at Spurs is Over
Nobody in north London will dispute how good of a defender Romero is, but there have been several question marks about his discipline and mindset over the last 12 months, and an exit makes the most sense for everyone involved.
Spurs have already replaced him in the window, and De Zerbi has made it clear that he only wants players who are fully committed to the cause. Inter have offered everyone a route to get the deal done, so it looks likely that it will.
£40m seems low in this market, but when you consider all the circumstances around the deal, it may be smarter for Spurs to just cut their losses and take it, rather than risk having to keep hold of someone who doesn't want to be there, and they don't want there either.