Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly readied fresh bids to secure the services of 23-year-old Argentine defender Cristian Romero.
According to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur are not giving up in their pursuit of Cristian Romero in the summer transfer window. Both the clubs have fresh offers prepared for the 23-year-old Argentine defender in order to prise him away from Atalanta.
Cristian Romero has made quite an impression since joining Atalanta on loan from Juventus last summer. Adjudged to be the best defender in Serie A last season, the 23-year-old has made 42 appearances for La Dea while chipping in with three goals and five assists along the way.
His continued progress also helped Romero earn his big break at international level, making his debut for Argentina in the build-up to Copa America before being a part of the victorious team in the continental competition. All of that and more has piqued the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe, with Barcelona and Tottenham currently hot on his trails.
Barcelona have, in fact, already submitted an offer for the 23-year-old, which, as per Gianluigi Longari, was something of a part-exchange deal. Atalanta, though, have rejected the bid, with the Blaugrana now back to the drawing board to plan a move for Romero. Having said that, the interest in the player makes a lot of sense amid uncertainty surrounding the futures of Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet.
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So, even though Barcelona have already signed Eric Garcia to bolster their defence, Romero could well be his long-term partner at Camp Nou. As for Tottenham, their interest in Romero stems from the fact that Toby Alderweireld has called it quits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.
With Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez failing to impress much of late, Romero is just the kind of player to pursue as Spurs eye a long-term solution in defence. To that end, it has even been claimed that Tottenham have submitted their own offer for the Argentine defender, although they now seem to have prepared a fresh bid.
As per Longari, Barcelona will offer a loan deal to Atalanta, while having the obligation to buy the 23-year-old next summer. With both Barcelona and Tottenham now ready to table fresh offers, it will be interesting to see if either can tempt Atalanta to cash in on Romero, after they trigger their option to sign him from Juventus.
