Tottenham are reportedly in talks to sign Cristian Romero from Atalanta as Fabio Paratici lays down the groundwork for defensive reinforcements.
According to football.london, Tottenham are in talks with Atalanta to sign Cristian Romero. The Argentine centre-back could be tempted by a switch to the Premier League and the lure to join a big club. New Spurs Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici believes in a certain style of recruitment.
The former Juventus director targets multiple players in the same position and hopes to hit a cord with at least one of them. Visibly the Italian executive has taken up a similar task at Tottenham, with several defenders linked in the past weeks.
Working alongside new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Paratici wants to solve the club’s defensive issues that have plagued them in the last few seasons. Tottenham currently have Joe Rodon, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld as their first choice centre-backs, while Eric Dier can fill in if required.
However, the group has collectively failed to convince the Spurs faithful, and new faces are certainly required to shore up the backline. There have been few names linked with Tottenham in the last weeks. Jules Kounde was one prominent name connected with a move, although the French international reportedly prefers other big clubs to Tottenham.
There were also reports of Tottenham being unwilling to pay Joachim Andersen’s £26 million price tag, set by Lyon, effectively ruling themselves out of the running for the Danish international. Bologna’s Takehiro Tomiyasu is reportedly close to a switch, but Spurs need a more solid presence at the back.
The latest player on their radar seems to be Atalanta’s, Cristian Romero. Once signed by Paratici at Juventus, the Argentine international has been a star performer since joining Atalanta on loan from the Bianconeri. He recently tasted Copa America success with Argentina and was named Serie A’s best defende last term.
Atalanta have a €16 million option to buy Romero from Juventus, and they are likely to exercise it. La Dea can then decide if they want to keep him or sell him for a massive profit to interested parties, such as Tottenham. Given the financial situation around Serie A clubs and across Europe, they might opt to cash in on Romero.
Atalanta’s subsequent demands for the Argentine international could become a problem for Spurs. The Premier League side have shown a reluctance to pay up significant sums on players this summer. The Italian outfit will certainly look for more than double the €16 million they could pay Juventus. Romero’s price stage could be above €40 million.
Tottenham’s willingness to pay such a fee will indicate their serious interest in the player. While Romero has shown his mettle in Serie A and Copa America, it remains to be seen if Spurs have what it takes to pay his value or if they switch their attention towards other, cheaper alternatives.
