Tottenham set Cristian Romero price amid Real Madrid & Atletico Madrid interest | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero could be allowed to leave the club this summer, a report has claimed, as long as suitors are willing to pay a premium price for the Argentina international.

Romero has been increasingly linked with a Spurs departure in recent months. He has missed big chunks of the season through injury and there appears to be a frustration towards his situation.

The 27-year-old was reported last month to be unhappy over how the club handled his injury and recovery. More recently, he refused to pledge his future to Tottenham beyond this season and left the door open for a summer transfer, even talking up a switch to La Liga specifically.

Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are rumoured to be interested, with the latter thought to be particularly keen on a summer transfer.

MARCA claims that Spurs have priced Romero at €70m (£60m), implying there would be a willingness from their side to do business and cut ties if an offer was deemed acceptable.

Tottenham would hope to turn a profit on Romero / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages

Atletico look set for a defensive reshuffle with expected departures for veteran pair Cesar Azpilcueta and Axel Witsel, as well as no guarantees that Clement Lenglet's loan will become permanent. City rivals Real are also in need of a boost at the back, having paid the price this season for an existing lack of centre-back depth and the potential for David Alaba to also now leave.

Romero's form for Atalanta in Serie A prompted Spurs to strike an initial loan deal in 2021, made permanent for a £42.5m. That made Romero the second most expensive player in the club's history, behind only flop record signing Tanguy Ndombele, but a £60m valuation could still yield profit.

At his best, Romero is among Europe's top central defenders, having been a starter in Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

After leaving South America at the age of 20, he quickly rose to prominence with Genoa, resulting in a 2019 transfer to Juventus. But Romero never played a game for the Serie A giants, initially staying with Genoa on loan and then moving to Atalanta on a similar deal. The latter eventually paid just €16m for a permanent deal in 2021, considerably less than Juve's €26m outlay.