Manchester United have reportedly set their sights on Cristian Romero, who is currently on loan at Atalanta from Juventus and is valued at €40 million.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Cristian Romero has popped up on the radar of Manchester United over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Premier League heavyweights are prioritising signing a centre-back ahead of next season, with the 23-year-old, valued at €40 million by Atalanta, one of their targets.
Cristian Romero has gone from strength to strength since joining Atalanta from Juventus on loan last summer. Having already impressed in Serie A since arriving from South America back in 2018, the 23-year-old has gone on to be rated as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe.
At Atalanta this season, Romero has turned out 39 times across all competitions, chipping in with 3 goals and 5 assists as well. A mainstay at the back for La Dea, the Argentine is starting to attract interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world, with one of his suitors being Manchester United.
Manchester United are eager to bolster the heart of their defence in the summer transfer window, despite the fact that Eric Bailly has recently signed a new deal with the club, and for good reason. Bailly’s fitness issues are well known, but Victor Lindelof has also had his fair share of frustrations on the injury front this term, having struggled with a persistent back issue.
Furthermore, both Bailly and Lindelof have proven to be quite inconsistent over the course of their respective stints with Old Trafford and that has been evident most recently when Manchester United suffered a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool this week. With Axel Tuanzebe also facing an uncertain future at United, it is prudent to think about investing in a centre-back.
To that end, the Red Devils have drawn up a shortlist of targets, which includes Jules Kounde, Sven Botman and Cristian Romero. And Atalanta, who are expected to pay €25 million to land Romero permanently, are open to cashing in on him, with a price tag worth €40 million likely to be slapped on him.
At 23, Romero has his best years well ahead of him and will be a long-term solution at the heart of the Manchester United defence alongside Harry Maguire. What now remains to be seen is if United are ready to shell out €40 million to secure the services of the promising South American defender this coming summer.