According to reports, three Tottenham Hotspur stars are close to leaving, with Cristian Romero set to join Atletico Madrid instead of Inter Milan.
Tottenham have been incredibly busy in this summer’s transfer window, having invested around £230m to sign Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side have also signed Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, but they remain in the market for further additions.
Tottenham’s focus for the remainder of this window will be to improve their attack, and they are expected to sign at least one winger and a new striker.
But Spurs have also been working on exits to balance the books, with Romero set to be one of their most notable departures this summer.
READ: Djed Spence reaches decision on joining Liverpool as Tottenham set price for sale
It has seemed inevitable for a while that the centre-back would leave Spurs in this window, and this has been made more likely by his current club signing Van Hecke and Senesi.
Initially, a move to Inter Milan looked most likely for Romero, but our colleagues at TEAMtalk are reporting that a ‘hijack is on’ for the defender to join Atletico Madrid instead.
According to the report, Romero has now ‘agreed terms’ with Atletico Madrid, who are in ‘pole position’ to secure his services.
The report explains:
‘Inter had previously negotiated a deal with Tottenham worth up to £38million, but we understand the Serie A champions were unable to agree personal terms with Romero.
‘Atletico, however, have succeeded where Inter fell short as they push to hijack the deal. Sources have confirmed Romero has agreed a contract on terms similar to those he currently earns at Tottenham, removing one of the biggest obstacles to completing the transfer.’
Ashley Phillips and Mikey Moore set to leave Tottenham
Young defender Ashley Phillips is also on the exit ramp, with The Northern Echo reporting that Championship side Middlesbrough have reached an ‘agreement’ with Spurs.
Regarding the terms of this deal, the report claims: ‘The Teessiders are paying an initial fee of £7m for Phillips, with a number of potential future add-ons also included as part of the deal. That is the same up-front price Boro paid to sign goalkeeper Radek Vitek from Manchester United earlier this week.
‘Spurs are understood to have included a sell-on clause in the deal that will take Phillips to the Riverside, with Boro officials hoping to complete the transfer in the next couple of days.’
Following this report, journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed that Middlesbrough are ‘set to sign’ Phillips, who has been given ‘permission to undergo a medical’.
And Moore is another Spurs player who is about to leave, though his move to Bundesliga outfit FC Koln will be a loan.
Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday that this deal is now ‘one step away’ from being completed.