Tottenham are weighing up the sale of club captain Cristian Romero, who has been on an extended break following his involvement in the World Cup with Argentina
Tottenham's productive early summer transfer business has backed them into a corner over the future of Cristian Romero.
For months - despite signing a new contract last summer - it has become clear that Romero is likely to leave the club before the September 1 transfer deadline.
The problem is, now Spurs have bolstered their defence with a cluster of new signings including ready-made replacement Jan Paul van Hecke, interested clubs are trying to lowball Roberto De Zerbi's side.
Inter Milan have held talks but the latest reports out of Spain are that Atletico Madrid are willing to go 'all out' to land the 28-year-old. The problem? 'All out' is seemingly defined by a €30million offer (just £26m), per the report.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
That figure is far too low for Spurs to consider selling Romero and, while it appears said offer hasn't officially been submitted yet, it would have to be much higher to strike a deal.
There had also been reports in Italy that Spurs were close to reaching an agreement with Inter for Romero worth about £34.5m but even that, on the face of it, seems low value.
Regardless of his complex history with Tottenham, he is coming off the back of a World Cup campaign where he reached the final and was one of the best central defenders at the entire tournament.
At 28, he should be about to enter his prime and it's not as if his Spurs contract is one year out from expiring.
Tottenham are just unfortunate that unlike previous years, Real Madrid and Barcelona are not properly hunting for defensive reinforcements, though both clubs do also still like to do business on the cheap.
De Zerbi has clarified in the past week or so that Romero is expected back at Tottenham soon, explaining: "I texted with Cuti yesterday to make a plan for when he comes back to London. [I did not speak to him about] the transfer market. That's not my job. I know there are many solutions in the transfer market."
The issue he faces is that it would set a bad precedent if Romero, who has made it clear he wants out, is getting straight back into the side over the likes of Van Hecke and Kevin Danso when he has continually let the fanbase down and pushed for a transfer.
Equally, there is no point in Spurs keeping Romero if he's not going to play as his value will only decrease. That's why they need to somehow drive up the price and ensure they get the best possible deal for the club.