Barcelona have reportedly expressed an interest in securing the services of Cristian Romero, who is also a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur.
According to a report from Sport Italia, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have joined Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Juventus defender Cristian Romero, who is currently on loan at Atalanta.
Romero was signed by Juventus in 2019 after an impressive spell with fellow Serie A club Juventus. However, the Argentine defender is yet to play a single game for the Bianconeri, having been farmed out on loan in each of his two years with the club. Indeed, the 23-year-old spent the 2019/20 term back at former team, Genoa, before signing for Atalanta last year on a two-season loan deal.
As part of the deal, Atalanta have the option of making his transfer permanent next year for a fee of €16 million, which they are hoping to trigger this summer itself and sell him off on a profit, amid widespread interest in the Argentine. Romero, of late, has been linked heavily with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but now Barcelona have also entered the fray for his signing.
Barcelona have already strengthened their defence with the signing of Eric Garcia from Manchester City on a Bosman move. However, Ronald Koeman & co. are looking at another signing to reinforce the backline with Gerard Pique not getting any younger while question marks remain over the futures of both Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet, the latter coincidentally being linked to Tottenham.
Should the French duo end up departing, Barcelona will need a new face to ensure depth in the squad, making Romero, who has had a fine year with Atalanta and the Argentine national team, a viable transfer target.
As for Tottenham, the interest in the 23-year-old makes complete sense after a disappointing last season where none of the centre-backs performed at the level expected. Furthermore, with Toby Alderweireld not getting any younger and looking to secure an exit in the current transfer window, it becomes imperative for new manager Nuno Espirito Santo to add another quality operator to his backline.
To that end, Tottenham are already said to be in advanced negotiations over a deal for Romero. The aforementioned report even mentions that the Lilywhites would be open to offering Davinson Sanchez as part of the deal to sign the Argentine international. Whether Barcelona’s entry into the fray alters their plans remains to be seen.
For now, both Barcelona and Tottenham are vying to sign Romero, with Atalanta ready to cash in on him this summer. It now remains to be seen who comes out on top in this battle for the 23-year-old.