Tottenham defender Cuti Romero is Atletico Madrid’s number one transfer target for the summer transfer window.
That’s according to AS, who say the Spanish side ‘will make an effort’ to get Romero out of Tottenham this summer but know negotiations will be difficult.
The newspaper explains that Atletico are determined to strengthen their defence this summer as they want to ‘renew and rejuvenate’ thanks to several likely departures.
They are actively searching for a centre-back and a left-back, while a right-back arriving would be not a surprise anyway.
It’s set to be a busy summer, but they’ve already identified the centre-back they want. It’s Tottenham star Romero. Diego Simeone believes he would offer the ‘leap in quality’ that his defence needs.
The Spanish side know they will need to ‘dig deep into their pockets’ for him and Tottenham will be a tough negotiator if they open talks. Reports in England have claimed they will want €80m for their man.
That’s a ‘prohibitive figure’ for Atletico who want to pay €40-50m for him. They believe they have a trump card in Simeone, who could convince his compatriot. Romero is also believed to be interested in joining forces with him.
Romero is ‘attracted’ to the project Atletico can offer him and knows he would fit in easily to a squad that has a number of Argentines in the locker room and in Simeone’s staff.
If Tottenham do open the door to negotiations Atletico hope to close a deal so Romero can participate in the Club World Cup. That runs from June 14th to July 13th. He is their number one target for the summer and there is hope a deal can be done, despite an acceptance that Spurs won’t make it easy for them.
