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If you’re still waiting on news about Cristian Romero, well... so are we. The last we heard, Tottenham Hotspur had reached an agreement on personal terms to bring the Atalanta central defender to North London, but the clubs were still haggling over the transfer fee. And as of today... well, that’s still the case.
Here’s Fabrizio Romano with the latest:
Tottenham still in negotiation for Cristian Romero but no agreement yet on €55m fee - he’s the priority. 100%. ⚪️ #THFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 26, 2021
Plan B: open talks to sign 3 different defenders with same amount. Tomiyasu [€18m], Milenkovic [€15m] and Zouma [€25m].
Caleta-Car, NOT even an option.
Everything I’m reading is that this is a transfer that still looks likely to be done. Romero is happy to move to Spurs, his club is open to the sale, and the only remaining hurdle is how much Spurs are willing to pay. The difference in valuation is reportedly €10m, which isn’t much, and it seems like this is something that can be worked out.
On the other hand, Fabrizio’s “Plan B” — buy three players for the cost of one Cristian Romero — does sound kinda interesting. Milenkovic would be a pretty straightforward transfer as far as I’m aware, Tomiyasu we know already wants to come, and Zouma... well, that’s new but I wouldn’t necessarily hate it. It is interesting that Romano seems to make the Tomiyasu deal as contingent on the Romero transfer not happening; I’m not convinced that’s the case.
Anyway, that’s where we are. Not a ton of movement, but neither is it time to hit the panic button. Patience, grasshoppers. All shall be revealed in the fullness of time.