Cristian Romero appears to have made up his mind on his Tottenham future.
Romero has been flirting with a move to Spain since before the end of last season, publicly stating in an interview that he wished to play in La Liga back in March.
The World Cup winner’s strongest suitors have been Atletico Madrid, which was corroborated by his compatriot Diego Simeone, who declared his admiration for Romero.
The outspoken defender has also gone on record to criticise Daniel Levy’s running of the club, and it’s possible that Ange Postecoglou’s dismissal was the last straw.
The former Atalanta player will know that the Spurs chairman’s desire to eek out maximum value from his assets could hamper a move, and is now willing to take matters into his own hands.
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Romero could hand in a transfer request at Tottenham
As reported in the Telegraph (26 June), Levy will set a £60million asking price for Romero as he is not willing to budge on his valuation of the 27-year-old.
The central defender still has two years on his contract, and his exploits in the UEFA Europa League in particular showed just how valuable a player he is.
This development will not be welcomed by Romero, as AS wrote on Friday (27 June) that Atletico are only prepared to spend £51.2million to secure his services, which they already believe is excessive.
However, the club are willing to back their long-serving manager and are expected to test the waters.
Should, as expected, Levy not accept their offer, Romero could be prepared to escalate things further and hand in a formal transfer request to greenlight the move to the Spanish capital.
Romero saga threatens to derail Tottenham’s summer
Tottenham have made a slow start to the summer transfer window.
Supporters will be keen to see their side add fresh faces to the squad sooner rather than later. However, delays over the sales of high-profile players like Romero won’t help.
If Romero is going to leave, Tottenham need a replacement, which will take time to find, especially after a recent Jarrad Branthwaite development. As a result, a decision needs to be made imminently.