Football Italia

Inter’s move for Cristian Romero is under threat, with Atlético Madrid preparing to gatecrash the deal for the Tottenham defender.

According to calciomercato.it, Inter, still searching for reinforcements at the back despite the arrival of John Stones, have advanced a deal for Romero, agreeing a fee of around €40m with Tottenham as well as personal terms worth roughly €5.5m a year.

The complication is that the Nerazzurri cannot complete the move until they have offloaded Benjamin Pavard to free up space and funds.

Atlético’s Molina and Ruggeri sales fund Romero bid as Inter wait

That delay is the opening Atlético hope to exploit. Flush with the proceeds of two sales, Nahuel Molina to Roma and Matteo Ruggeri to Aston Villa, Diego Simeone’s side are preparing an initial budget of more than €30m to try to sign the Argentine.

And they may hold a decisive advantage: according to Marca, while Romero does not object to a move to Milan, he would prefer to join Simeone’s Atlético over Inter.

Tottenham, for their part, had given the green light to Inter’s proposal of €35m plus €5m in bonuses, and are unlikely to accept a lower figure from Atlético than the one already agreed with the Serie A champions.

That offers Inter a measure of protection, but with the deal stalled on Pavard’s exit and the player leaning towards Spain, the Nerazzurri’s hopes of landing the World Cup winner are no longer as secure as they once seemed.

For Cristian Chivu, who used Andy Diouf at right-back in the Perth derby as he continues to seek an heir to Denzel Dumfries, resolving the defence has become an increasingly pressing task.

Inter run the very real risk of losing Cristian Romero to Atletico Madrid, as they cannot buy from Tottenham Hotspur until first selling Benjamin Pavard, Davide Frattesi or Kristjan Asllani.

The Nerazzurri won the Scudetto and Coppa Italia last season, and have set themselves the target of doing better in the Champions League this term, but reinforcements are not arriving.

They’ve been close to agreements several times only for them to fall apart, as Chelsea out-bid them for Marco Palestra, then Anan Khalaili failed his medical on a move from Union Saint-Gilloise.

Inter can’t keep Romero waiting forever

Multiple sources are confident Inter have a handshake deal with Tottenham for Romero at €40m, but cannot go through with it until first agreeing personal terms, then making sales to raise funds.

This is a huge problem, because Atletico Madrid agreed two sales today, sending Matteo Ruggeri to Aston Villa for circa €18m plus add-ons, and Nahuel Molina to Roma for €13m plus add-ons.

There is still one key benefit for Inter, as Marca report that the proposal planned from Atletico Madrid is only €30m for Romero, which probably won’t be enough to sway Spurs.

The fact remains, Inter cannot take action because they have too many players still waiting to be moved on.

Pavard returned from his loan experience at Olympique Marseille and seems reticent to accept more temporary transfers.

Asllani has not been part of the Nerazzurri’s plans for months now, but he was on loan at both Torino and Besiktas last season, failing to impress at either club.

The third spare wheel is Frattesi, whose position has been with one foot out of the door for two years at this point, yet never seems to make the extra step.

There have been suggestions in La Gazzetta dello Sport of a potential exchange with Juventus between Frattesi and Nico Gonzalez, while Nottingham Forest remain interested.

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti’s comments about Guglielmo Vicario raised questions, but it’s reported the goalkeeper was determined to leave Tottenham Hotspur long before Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival.

The Bianconeri are expected to swoop for Italy international Vicario this month after Paris Saint-Germain moved ahead in the race for Parma and Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

When asked about the situation, Juve boss Spalletti’s comments raised a few eyebrows.

“Vicario is an experienced goalkeeper who has already gone through some situations, one of them serious. We have to understand why a club like Tottenham decided to leave him out, what evaluations they made.”

Juventus and Tottenham doubts on Vicario

This was seemingly referring to the sports hernia surgery that Vicario underwent in March, and the fact he was not brought along for the Spurs pre-season tour, officially due to a minor injury.

However, La Gazzetta dello Sport insist the real reason is that he decided several months ago that he would not remain in London, frustrated at being treated like a scapegoat by fans for his struggle with aggressive marking on set plays.

The 29-year-old had made the move from Empoli to Tottenham in 2023 for €18.5m and was instrumental in their Europa League triumph, but grew frustrated last season when they barely managed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Although he gets along with De Zerbi, it’s claimed the decision was made to walk away this summer, and the coach is not going to try to change his mind.

Multiple sources report Randal Kolo Muani will have his Juventus medical on Sunday, having been given the all-clear by Paris Saint-Germain for €38m plus €12m add-ons, but it’s no longer a loan.

The negotiations had been dragging on for weeks and even months, considering the attempts to buy him after his loan experience in Turin in 2025.

He went instead on loan to Tottenham Hotspur, a move that was also not made permanent, and has no future in Paris.

Kolo Muani ready for Juventus at last

Juventus had been reticent to make it a permanent transfer, hoping to get the deal done on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

Instead, Sky Sport Italia and transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano report this evening that Juve have agreed to pay the fee upfront without a loan.

It will be €38m guaranteed, plus up to a further €12m in add-ons, some of which are easier to activate than others.

The contract is to June 2031 and expected to be worth €5m per season net.

Kolo Muani should be in Turin on Sunday, then if the medical tests are completed quickly, he can fly out with the Juventus squad for their pre-season tour in the evening.

Sandro Tonali scored his first goal in the Tottenham Hotspur shirt, while Marco Palestra gave glimpses of what he can do for Chelsea, as Italy internationals took centre-stage in a pre-season friendly.

The two Premier League sides met in Sydney and it was a feisty encounter with Spurs taking the lead through Italy midfielder Tonali.

The former Newcastle United man made the transfer for a massive €115m fee and scored his first goal in the Spurs jersey, with the aid of a deflection, from ex-Fiorentina player Manor Solomon’s assist.

Italy players shine for Tottenham and Chelsea

Estevao’s header drew Chelsea level, but it was his combination with Italy international Palestra on the right that excited Blues fans, who hope this duo can get regular playing time together.

The ex-Atalanta and Cagliari wing-back was used here as a right-back, and it is no secret that his strengths are more in going forward than defending.

Tottenham went down to 10 men straight after the restart, as Kevin Danso had only been on for three minutes when he was caught napping by Joao Pedro and brought him down when clear on goal.

Despite being down to 10 for the entire second half, Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs still managed to snatch a late victory with Richarlison tapping in the rebound from a Jamie Donley effort off the upright.

Inter have made significant progress on personal terms and commission with Cristian Romero’s agent, claim Sportitalia, and Tottenham Hotspur can sell for €40m.

The Argentina international will not remain in London this summer, as for several months he has seemed determined to move on, something Spurs tend to agree with.

As Barcelona are keeping an eye on the situation without pushing, Inter emerged as the absolute favourites for his signature.

Romero more likely to join Inter

According to Sportitalia transfer experts Alfredo Pedullà and Gianluigi Longari, Inter have a basic agreement in place with Tottenham worth approximately €40m (around £34m).

This afternoon, they also state that the Nerazzurri moved significantly closer to a deal on both personal terms and commission with Romero’s agent.

It would represent a return to Italy for Cuti, who started his European club career with Genoa before moving on to Juventus and Atalanta.

Now 28, he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur in 2021 for €53.8m.

However, Inter also need to sell a player in order to balance the books, with options on the table including Davide Frattesi and Benjamin Pavard.

Sandro Tonali has explained the thinking behind his move to Tottenham, describing the switch as “the best solution” for his career and his family after leaving Newcastle.

According to BBC Sport, the Italy midfielder revealed he had held talks with two clubs before opting for Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs, and knew almost immediately where his future lay.

“When you speak with a team, the first impression is a big thing and my impression was very positive,” Tonali said. “When you are happy after a 10-minute chat, it’s everything, everything is perfect.”

Tonali reveals Italy return was priced out by fee

Tellingly for the Serie A clubs who admired him, Tonali admitted he and his family had actually resolved to return to Italy, only for the size of the fee to make it impossible.

“We had decided to come back to Italy but it was impossible for the money,” he said, explaining that clubs could meet his wages but not the transfer fee. “England was our solution and we found the best solution in England… I understood after 10, 15 minutes that Tottenham would be my next team.”

The central midfielder, who joins an Italian contingent on De Zerbi’s staff and links up with compatriot Destiny Udogie, stressed the move was no reflection on his time at Newcastle, praising former manager Eddie Howe, who has since left the club, as “fantastic for me.”

Tonali acknowledged the price tag brings “a lot of pressure,” but said he had pushed for the best possible deal for Newcastle because the club “deserve everything,” saluting the passion of the St James’ Park support he leaves behind.

Roberto De Zerbi has spoken openly about Tottenham’s transfer business, revealing that Spurs are on the verge of landing another top-level signing following their club-record deal for Sandro Tonali, and has hinted that both Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario are free to leave the club this summer amidst links to Inter and Juventus.

What De Zerbi said about Inter and Juventus-linked Romero and Vicario

Tottenham have backed De Zerbi with a series of high-profile signings, which have already taken the club’s summer spending beyond the €250m mark.

Tonali became the most expensive Italian footballer of all time for the second time in his career when he joined from Newcastle United a few weeks ago, and he was added to the purchases of Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke and the free transfers for Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson.

De Zerbi, speaking to Football London, has hinted that another new signing is on the way, but that there are still several first-team players in the Tottenham camp that could still leave before the window slams shut.

“The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure, but we completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba!,” De Zerbi said.

Among the players widely expected to leave Tottenham this summer is centre-back Romero, who has plenty of experience in Serie A from his time with Juventus, Atalanta and Genoa. Inter, who have also secured the services of centre-back John Stones, are actively pursuing a deal for Romero as well.

Addressing the Argentine’s future, De Zerbi said: “At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings! And [the players] told me what was their idea. I said: ‘Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave’. If you don’t help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me!

“But Romero with me was unbelievable. Top. In his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It’s not true.

“After the {World Cup} semi-final we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me. Like for Vicario, like for every player.

“Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players.”

Inter are continuing direct negotiations with both Cristian Romero’s agent and Tottenham Hotspur, confident they can get a deal over the line for €40m.

Sportitalia report that the talks continued today, providing progress on both fronts with player and club.

They are helped by the fact that Romero and Spurs know their time together is over, and neither side has any intention of continuing this season.

Romero eager for Inter move

The asking price is €50m, but the tension of the situation and relative lack of other alternatives give Inter hope they can bring that down to €40m.

Tottenham are not prepared to accept a loan with obligation to buy, so Inter are trying to bring together the necessary funds to make it a cash offer.

That can be achieved by saving on the money set aside to buy the Denzel Dumfries replacement, instead moving Andy Diouf to the right flank.

Barcelona had been the biggest other contenders, but they seem to have withdrawn their interest in the Argentina international.

According to Sportitalia pundits Gianluigi Longari and Alfredo Pedullà, Inter still need to agree the length of the contract, his salary and performance-related bonuses.

Nonetheless, Romero is eager to join the Nerazzurri, returning to Serie A after his experiences with Genoa, Juventus and Atalanta.

Inter are still hoping to seal a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for centre-back Cristian Romero, but the club’s pursuit of the Argentina international has only become possible due to the surprisingly impressive performances from Andy Diouf in the early stages of pre-season.

Is Diouf the reason Inter are able to target Romero?

It hasn’t exactly been an explosive start to the summer transfer window for the Nerazzurri. The summer began with the purchase of Aleksandar Stankovic, who was brought back from Club Brugge after an impressive breakthrough campaign in 2025-26.

Ivan Provedel has also come in at a cost of €3m to provide cover for Josep Martinez, who is expected to become the new no.1 in 2026-27.

As things stand, that has been it in terms of incomings.

Inter had originally been hoping to bring in Marco Palestra from Atalanta to replace right wing-back Denzel Dumfries, who left the club after seeing his release clause activated by Real Madrid. However, Inter were ultimately outpriced by Chelsea, who secured the young Italy international’s services at a cost of €60m.

Inter had briefly considered reinvesting the money they had set aside to sign Palestra on Nico Paz instead, but he has since firmed up his immediate future with Como instead.

Then, Inter reached an agreement with Union Saint-Gilloise for Israeli right-winger Anan Khalaili, but that deal later collapsed due to concerns around the player’s medical.

The search for a new right wing-back took the Nerazzurri to North London, where they attempted to negotiate with Tottenham for England international Djed Spence. Cristian Chivu’s side reportedly went off the idea after learning Tottenham’s asking price.

However, negotiations with Tottenham have since continued, albeit for Argentine centre-back Romero rather than right wing-back Spence.

Tottenham are demanding a fee in the region of €50m for the former Juventus, Atalanta and Genoa defender, who is not expected to be part of Roberto De Zerbi’s plans for the 2026-27 season.

Despite the fact that a new right wing-back had been Inter’s primary concern in the early stages of the summer transfer window, La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that the club’s priorities are beginning to shift, largely due to the impressive performances of Diouf at right wing-back during the team’s most recent pre-season run-outs.

The Frenchman, who was signed last summer to bolster Chivu’s options in central midfield, has scored four goals from two matches during Inter’s first pre-season friendlies of the summer. The first two came in a 16-0 thumping of local side SV Aasen during the team’s training camp in Germany, and the other two came in a 2-1 win over more established opposition in Karlsruher SC on Sunday evening.

If Chivu is able to depend on Diouf as a right wing-back heading into the 2026-27 season, then spending the ‘Palestra money’ on a new centre-back i.e. Romero instead of a new right wing-back becomes a genuine possibility.

Inter have also lost two senior centre-backs this summer after saying farewell to Francesco Acerbi and Stefan De Vrij at the end of their contracts, so new additions are still required in that area of the pitch.

If a deal for Romero does come off, Chivu would likely look to field him in the middle of a back three with Manuel Akanji to his right and Alessandro Bastoni to his left. Benjamin Pavard, Yann Bisseck and Carlos Augusto would be the alternative options.