Tottenham have ruled out selling captain Cristian Romero to Arsenal this summer, despite the Gunners’ interest in the centre-back following William Saliba’s injury.
According to The Athletic, Spurs are unwilling to consider selling their captain to their fiercest rivals under any circumstances, regardless of what Arsenal put on the table. Arsenal explored the move after Saliba suffered a serious back injury that will keep him out for an extended period, though he does not require surgery.
Arsenal turned away, others queue up
Arsenal had already been rebuffed elsewhere this window, with Aston Villa knocking back a bid for Ezri Konsa as the Midlands club hold out for £60m. That leaves the Gunners short of options at centre-back just as the market tightens, but Tottenham’s stance on Romero hasn’t shifted an inch – this is not a deal Spurs are willing to entertain, full stop.
With Arsenal blocked, Atletico Madrid have revived their long-running interest in Romero, a pursuit covered in more detail here. The Spanish side are now viewed as a more realistic destination than Serie A, at least for now.
Inter deal agreed, personal terms the sticking point
Spurs have already agreed a fee of €40m (£34m) with Inter Milan for Romero, though the defender has yet to finalise personal terms – a gap that has allowed Atletico back into contention. The full picture on where that valuation gap sits is worth a read via our earlier piece on the Inter negotiations.
Tottenham have hardly sat on their hands while this plays out. The club have completed a £52m deal for Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and signed Marcos Senesi on a free from Bournemouth, both moves that read like contingency planning for life without their captain.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi insists he’s still planning with Romero involved, saying he texted with Cuti yesterday to make a plan for when he comes back to London but not for the transfer market, adding that’s not his job and that he knows there are many solutions in the transfer market. Romero is due back in London shortly, with his destination expected to be resolved before the window shuts – whether that’s Milan, Madrid, or, less likely by the day, nowhere at all.
