Liverpool are reportedly willing to offer as much as €50 million in order to beat Manchester United to the signing of Argentine defender Cristian Romero this summer.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, Liverpool are ready to blow Manchester United out of the water in the transfer race for Juventus defender Cristian Romero. The Reds are willing to offer a sum of €50 million to beat their rivals in pursuit of the centre-back.
Romero arrived in Italy in 2018, signing for Genoa from boyhood club Belgrano in Argentina. The 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive debut season in Serie A, which prompted Juventus to sign him in the summer of 2019 before loaning him out to Genoa for the rest of the 2019/20 term, where he made a solid impression yet again.
This past summer saw Romero being sent out to Atalanta on yet another temporary spell and the Argentine stood out for La Dea, playing a key role in them securing yet another top four finish in Serie A. His progress has also landed Romero a spot in the Argentina national team while he is now attracting a lot of interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world, with Manchester United and Liverpool taking note.
Manchester United’s need for a central defender is well-documented now. With Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly not consistent enough while battling with fitness issues as well, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer & co. are in need of bringing in a new and reliable centre-back that can be the ideal foil for club captain Harry Maguire moving forward.
While a number of names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, the interest in Romero seems to be gaining traction of late, with reports even indicating that Manchester United were readying an offer for the 23-year-old. However, it seems like they might be falling behind bitter rivals Liverpool in pursuit of the Argentine, with the Reds now plotting a big-money swoop.
Liverpool have already strengthened their backline by signing Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig. However, given Joel Matip’s sketchy injury record and with Konate himself having had a couple of serious injuries over the last two years, it would make sense for the Reds to add another top quality centre-half to compliment Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, especially with Nat Phillips being linked with an exit.
To that end, Liverpool are now readying an offer of €50 million for Romero, as they look to beat Manchester United to his signing. The deal, however, could be a bit complicated as Atalanta have the option of making his transfer permanent for just €16 million, which they intend to, before they listen to offers from the Premier League duo.
At the same time, parent club Juventus are also keen on making the most of the situation but might find it difficult to do so, if Atalanta snare the 23-year-old away. An intriguing summer beckons Romero, who is currently away on international duty with Argentina at the 2021 Copa America.