Atletico agree £34.2m deal for Tottenham captain Romero

Atletico Madrid have struck a deal to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur for £34.2m (40m euros), bringing to an end the Argentine's five-year spell in north London. The 28-year-old defender becomes Atletico's fourth signing of the summer, with Spurs retaining a 15 per cent sell-on clause as part of the agreement.

No deal for rivals Arsenal

Arsenal had expressed interest in Romero in recent days, but Tottenham made clear they had no intention of selling their captain to their north London rivals. Atletico's approach proved more palatable, and the deal has been agreed with Romero scheduled to return from his post-World Cup break in the coming days.

The Argentina international played in every match of his country's run to the World Cup final this summer in North America, missing only one game across the entire tournament. He had captained Spurs during a turbulent season that saw the club narrowly avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Five years at the heart of Spurs' defence

Romero initially arrived at Tottenham on loan from Atalanta in 2021, with the deal made permanent the following year for £42.5m. Across his time at the club he made 156 appearances and scored 13 goals, making him one of the most influential centre-backs in the Premier League during that period.

The news deals another blow to Tottenham's supporters, who are also set to lose Djed Spence to Inter Milan in a separate £25.6m (30m euros) deal that is understood to be in advanced negotiations.

Atletico's ambitious summer rebuild

With the additions of midfielders Kang-in Lee and Morten Hjulmand and left-back Alejandro Grimaldo already confirmed, the signing of Romero would push Atletico's summer spending beyond £100m. Manager Diego Simeone is seeking to rebuild his squad after the club finished fourth in La Liga last season — below city rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, and beaten to third by Villarreal.