Atletico Madrid have agreed a £34.2m (€40m) fee to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham. The 28-year-old would be Atletico’s fourth arrival of the summer, and Spurs will keep a 15% sell-on clause.
Arsenal showed interest in recent days, but Tottenham were unwilling to sell their captain to a north London rival.
Romero leaves after five seasons at Spurs, where he made 156 appearances and scored 13 goals, having initially joined on loan from Atalanta in 2021. The centre-back featured for Argentina during their run to this summer’s World Cup final, missing just one match, and had been due to rejoin Spurs for pre-season next week after extra time off following the tournament in North America.
He captained Tottenham last season as they narrowly avoided Premier League relegation. After completing a permanent £42.5m move from Atalanta, Romero became a key figure in defence and was named club captain in 2025 following Son Heung-min’s departure.
Romero angered some supporters at the end of last season when he flew to Argentina before the final game against Everton, with Spurs’ top-flight status still uncertain, though he returned to London in time to see them stay up.
Defender Djed Spence is also close to leaving Spurs, with the England international in advanced talks over a £25.6m transfer to Inter Milan.
If the Romero deal is finalised, Atletico’s summer spend will surpass £100m, following the signings of midfielders Kang-in Lee and Morten Hjulmand, and left-back Alejandro Grimaldo. Head coach Diego Simeone is strengthening his squad after a fourth-place finish in La Liga, with Villarreal taking third.