The father of Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero appears to have given suitors a major heads-up when it comes to his son moving on this summer by revealing the release clause in his contract.
The Argentine is one of a number of top Spurs stars who will almost certainly move on if the club drops into the second tier of English football for the first time in almost 50 years.
The arrival of Roberto D Zerbi as the club’s new permanent manager will hopefully arrest that slide towards relegation, although there’s still a chance that the likes of Romero and Tottenham centre-back partner Micky van de Ven look to leave regardless.
And now the World Cup winner’s father, Victor Romero, has relayed to Argentinian outlet Cadena 3, the amount of the release clause in the player’s contract, amid continued interest from Atletico Madrid, as our sources have previously revealed.
“He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause,” Victor Romero said, clearly not realising that the deal runs until 2029 and not 2028.
“The English club isn’t going to let him go for free; it’s between $50-70m [£37.8m-£53m].
“For me, they’ll want to recover what they invested.”
Selling for nearer that £53m mark would at least give Tottenham some profit on the £43m they forked out for Romero when he joined from Atalanta in the summer of 2021.
The 27-year-old has since gone on to make over 150 appearances for Tottenham across all competitions and led from the front as the club ended their 17-year-old trophy wait last season with Europa League glory.
However, his career in north London has also been blighted by disciplinary issues. Indeed, Romero has been sent off twice this season and has missed six games through suspension in total.
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Shock Romero return to Argentina mooted
Meanwhile, Romero’s father also reacted to the shock rumours of the centre-back snubbing Atletico Madrid and returning boyhood side, Club Atletico Belgrano.
Romero began his career with Belgrano and made 19 appearances for their first team before earning a move to Genoa back in July 2018.
Any move, however unlikely it might seem given the major salary implications, would complete a full circle moment for Romero, who is entering the prime years of his career.
However, his father has added fuel to the fire by admitting that ‘anything can happen’ in football.
When quizzed about the talk of a return to his homeland, Victor Romero added: “It’s a bombshell that keeps getting bigger.
“I hope it’s true. As a Belgrano fan and father, what more could I want? But I don’t know anything.
“Cuti isn’t one to make statements, that’s why it surprises me.
“I don’t know anything, but in football, anything can happen. Today, you might be thinking about being close to your family, and tomorrow, they put together a team to win the championship, and everything changes.
“I don’t want to lie.”
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More Tottenham news: De Zerbi earns rave reviews; Arsenal striker battle
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Elsewhere, an observer has revealed the only Spurs player who is not ‘playing for his future’ in north London, with a major squad overall under De Zerbi expected this summer.