Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sell captain Cristian Romero to Atletico Madrid for €40million (£34.1m; $46m).
The deal will also include a 15% sell-on fee. Romero, 28, has agreed personal terms with the La Liga side and will complete his move pending a medical.
The Athletic reported last week that Atletico had renewed their interest in Romero, who had also attracted interest from Serie A champions Inter and Premier League champions Arsenal.
The Athletic previously reported that Romero is likely to depart Spurs this summer. He was not involved in the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand after starting in seven matches for Argentina at the World Cup, including in the final defeat to Spain on July 19.
Romero was named as Tottenham’s captain for the 2025-26 season by previous head coach Thomas Frank. He appeared 32 times, recording six goals and four assists. The defender signed a new four-year contract last year, extending his terms until 2029.
The centre-back has previously appeared to be critical of the Spurs hierarchy. After the January defeat to Bournemouth, Romero apologised to the club’s supporters, while appearing to point blame for their situation towards senior figures.
“At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t as has been happening for several years now,” he said. “They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies. We’ll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around.”
Weeks later, Romero said his side’s lack of squad options was “disgraceful” for their 2-2 draw with Manchester City, in the wake of an injury crisis.
Romero has suffered back-to-back seasons disrupted through injury. His 2025-26 campaign was curtailed by a knee problem. The previous season, Romero was restricted to just 26 appearances, missing over two months with a hamstring injury.
Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta in the summer of 2021. An initial one-year loan was made permanent in 2022 for €53m, with the Argentinian centre-back making 123 Premier League appearances for the club. He was also part of the side that won the Europa League in 2025 and was appointed captain ahead of the 2025-26 season.
He started in all but one of Argentina’s matches at this summer’s World Cup, and scored in the round-of-16 victory against Egypt.
Spurs have signed two centre-backs this summer, adding Marco Senesi on a free transfer after his Bournemouth contract expired and signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £52m deal.
What does this mean for Tottenham?
Analysis by Jay Harris
This is probably the best possible outcome for Spurs.
It has been apparent for a long time that they needed to move on from Romero and, crucially, they have agreed to sell him to Atletico before the new season starts.
If the defender had returned to first-team training following an extended break after his involvement with Argentina at the World Cup, the uncertainty around his future would have been an unwelcome distraction. Atletico have been courting Romero for over a year and are a far better option than the prospect of selling him to rivals Arsenal.
Some people will be wondering why Spurs could not command a bigger fee for their captain who only signed a new long-term contract last year and has won multiple trophies at international level. The 28-year-old’s injury history and poor disciplinary record would have worked against Spurs during negotiations.
Romero leaves a complicated legacy behind in north London. Romero’s centre-back partnership with Micky van de Ven was crucial to Spurs winning the Europa League in the 2024-25 season, which was their first piece of silverware in 17 years.
Romero was nearly faultless in the knockout stages of the competition and rallied his team-mates at half-time in the final against Manchester United. Over the last 12 months, he has popped up with some crucial goals, including an overhead kick in stoppage time to rescue a point against Newcastle United.
However, there have been six red cards since he initially joined them on loan from Atalanta in August 2021 which is more than any other Premier League player in that period, while he criticised the club’s senior figures on multiple occasions via social media.
Spurs have already moved on by buying Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton earlier this summer. Romero’s dramatic five-year spell with Spurs finally appears to be over.
What does this mean for Arsenal?
Analysis by James McNicholas
Improbable as Tottenham agreeing to sell Romero to their north London neighbours may seem, Romero was a target for Arsenal.
He has a good relationship with Mikel Arteta’s assistant, Gabriel Heinze, and Arsenal admired his quality, versatility and strength of personality. A deal was never particularly realistic, however. Spurs were insistent throughout that they would not negotiate with Arsenal for Romero.
With the player now set to join Atletico Madrid, Arsenal’s search for defensive reinforcements continues. Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa remains a target, although the clubs are still some way apart on valuation.
Villa value Konsa at around £60 million. With the end of the window approaching, are Arsenal prepared to get closer to that figure to secure a deal?