Cristian Romero’s future continues to be the subject of much speculation, and the Tottenham centre-back may have no way to force himself back into Roberto De Zerbi’s plans.
The Tottenham captain played just once under De Zerbi last season, picking up a knee injury in the Italian’s first game in charge at Sunderland, and thus being unable to contribute to the club’s great escape from relegation.
It has been widely reported that Spurs have decided to cash in on Romero, and the Lilywhites have already made significant reinforcements to their backline with the signings of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke this summer.
While there have been some suggestions that the Tottenham captain had done a U-turn on his future and would prefer to stay, reports over the last few days have continued to insist that Spurs are already planning for life without Romero.
Fabrizio Romano expects Cristian Romero to swap Tottenham for La Liga
Fabrizio Romano has said that Roberto De Zerbi feels he is well covered in the centre-back areas following the arrivals of Van Hecke and Senesi, and the Argentine does not feature in the Italian’s plans.
The journalist claimed that despite some speculation linking Romero with a move to Serie A, the defender’s preferred destination remains La Liga.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero, at the moment, from Tottenham Hotspur, the view is clear, they have Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Senesi, they have plenty of centre-backs.
“Also, not playing European football this season, the idea of parting ways with Cuti Romero is still a serious possibility. So, there is still a strong chances for Romero to leave Tottenham this summer. Despite rumours from Italy that keep arriving with Romero, my understanding is that Romero would really like to have a new experience in LaLiga. So, Cuti Romero would like to have a new experience in LaLiga if the right opportunity arrives for him and for Tottenham.
“That could be an option for Barcelona, it could be an option for Atletico Madrid, we will see, but Romero would like to go to LaLiga and try an experience in Spain. We will see what arrives for Romero because he signed a contract only a year ago, the season was not easy, but at the same time, there could be movement also because Tottenham already signed several centre-backs, and they feel well-covered in that situation, so it’s going to be a situation to watch.”
Clear front-runner emerging for Romero’s signature
While Barcelona were credited with an interest in the Spurs defender earlier this summer, it appears that their interest has now cooled.
This is according to a recent update from Sport, which claimed that Barca have decided against signing Romero this summer, with a new centre-back no longer a priority for Hansi Flick.
The same report suggested that the Catalan club’s decision to withdraw from the race has opened the door for Atletico Madrid to complete a deal for their long-term target.