Tottenham Hotspur could be on the verge of losing a "world-class" player this summer, with the man in question said to have verbally agreed personal terms on a move elsewhere as he green-lights a north London exit.
Tottenham face Bodo/Glimt in season-defining Europa League semi-final
On Thursday, Ange Postecoglou faces the most important match of his Lilywhites career to date.
Spurs take on Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt on enemy turf for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final, with 90 minutes separating Tottenham from a first European final since their Champions League defeat to Liverpool in 2019.
If they get the job done and ease past Bodo/Glimt, taking full advantage of their 3-1 lead from the first leg, then Tottenham have a major chance to make history, and Postecoglou has a chance to fulfill his pledge of always winning silverware during his second season in charge.
Tottenham have endured a tepid Premier League campaign, tasting a dismal 19 top flight defeats across 24/25, but Europe gives them a golden opportunity to take something memorable away from what has been a very disappointing season.
The north Londoners will need every key man to stand up and be counted, even against a side which boasts far less in terms of quality on paper.
Postecoglou completely rotated the back four in their last game against West Ham, perhaps to give star defenders like Cristian Romero a rest ahead of their crunch encounter on Thursday.
According to recent reports, these next few games could even be the Argentine's last in a Spurs jersey, with Atletico Madrid expressing a serious interest in signing Romero this summer.
The World Cup-winning defender, like much of the squad, was unavailable for large portions of the campaign through injury, and therefore unable to replicate the kind of heroics which saw him form a stellar partnership with Micky van de Ven last season.
Romero has since come back into the fold with van de Ven after working his way back to full fitness, but it is believed by some that the former Atalanta star is keen to embark on a new chapter next season.
Cristian Romero agrees personal terms with Atlético Madrid
Now, as per journalist Ruben Aria on his Twitch channel, a seismic development has come to light on the £165,000-per-week defender and his potential switch to Atletico.
According to Aria, Romero has verbally agreed personal terms with Atletico on a five-year contract, with the option of a sixth. As the centre-back gives his green-light, Spurs and Atletico are still yet to come to a club-to-club agreement, so there remains plenty of work to do.
However, this step comes as a "significant" bit of progress in regard to Romero and his potential La Liga switch, but there is a major gap in valuation between Tottenham and Diego Simeone's side.
Indeed, it is believed Spurs want around £50 million to sell, while Atletico are only willing to offer around £34 million. While there have been no formal talks between both sides, that is expected to change "in the coming days", with Postecoglou or any new manager facing the looming threat of losing a truly excellent defender on his day.
"For me Romero is world class," said van de Ven about Romero.
"He’s a leader, he always gives 100%, on the ball and off the ball he’s a top class player and I can promise you this guy is not scared of anyone."