Inter Transfer Market: An Old Friend Tries to Thwart the No. 1 Defensive Target

Inter is eager to finalize a deal for Cristian Romero. Negotiations with Tottenham have made significant progress, and the parties are said to have reached a general agreement on both the transfer fee and the salary. The London club is reportedly willing to let the Argentine defender go for a total of around 40 million euros, including bonuses. This valuation is lower than the one set in recent months, due in part to the player’s desire for a change of scenery, which has inevitably reduced the Spurs’ bargaining power.

Romero has also accommodated Inter’s requests. The center back has in fact scaled back his financial demands, reaching a preliminary agreement with the Nerazzurri based on a salary of approximately 5.5 million euros per season.

However, what is now slowing down the completion of the deal is no longer the terms of the transfer, but rather Inter’s transfer market needs. Before making the final move for the former Genoa player, the Italian champions will need to trim their roster and complete at least one major transfer sale, thereby freeing up financial resources to invest in the Argentine defender.

However, it is precisely the slowdown in talks with the defender’s agents that has opened up an unexpected scenario: Atlético Madrid has forcefully entered the negotiations. According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Colchoneros have submitted a €30 million offer to Tottenham—a figure lower than the one put on the table by Inter—but with an added incentive: Romero himself is reportedly pushing for a transfer to Madrid, where he would like to play under Diego Simeone. Atlético, which is set to raise funds by selling Matteo Ruggeri and Nahuel Molina, is now also in talks with the player’s agents, turning what seemed like a nearly done deal into a full-blown transfer battle.