Atletico Madrid believe they are not far away from striking a full agreement with Tottenham Hotspur over a deal for Cristian Romero.
While Arsenal are continuing to be credited with an interest in Romero and there have even been suggestions of Barcelona potentially hijacking a deal for the Tottenham man, there is a clear frontrunner in the race for the Argentine.
Atletico are now working to get a deal over the line for the 28-year-old, 12 months after initially expressing their interest.
According to the latest reports from Spain, the La Liga club now appear to be in a hurry to unite Romero with his compatriot, Diego Simeone.
Atletico Madrid aim to finalise deal for Tottenham’s Cristian Romero in two days
AS are now reporting that Atletico are embarking on a ‘final sprint’ for the Spurs captain, and are keen to complete the deal ‘as soon as possible’.
The Spanish side are determined to hand Simeone a new leader at the back, and they are now looking to finalise an agreement for Romero within ‘the next 48 hours’.
The goal of the Colchoneros is to have the Tottenham star ready to play in their season opener against Malaga on August 19.
The deal to take the World Cup winner to the Spanish capital is expected to be worth €40m (£34m), with Atletico believing they are ‘close’ to clinching it.
Will Atletico clinch the deal before Romero is due to return for pre-season?
Romero, Pedro Porro and Djed Spence are due to return to Hotspur Way this week following their extended breaks after reaching the latter stages of the World Cup.
By the sounds of it, Atletico are looking to swiftly strike a deal so that the Argentine can fly straight to Madrid rather than returning to London.
Romero’s exit could also pave the way for Tottenham to finally announce their new captain ahead of Roberto De Zerbi’s first full season in charge of the former Europa League champions.