Tottenham Hotspur have passed another hurdle in their attempts to sign Cristian Romero with Atalanta on the verge of landing Merih Demiral from Serie A rivals Juventus, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
In short, this means Atalanta have all but secured the signature of a man who would replace Romero at the heart of Gian Piero Gasperini’s back line.
An agreement between La Dea and Juve was being finalised this afternoon, Demiral heading to Bergamo on loan with an option-to-buy clause of about £25 million expected to be included in his contract (Sky Italia).
That means the chances of Tottenham handing Romero a Premier League debut against Manchester City on 15 August have risen substantially.
Spurs have already seen a bid of £47 million, plus bonuses, accepted by Atalanta.
And what a coup of a signing this could be, particularly for a side whose 2020/21 season was beset by silly mistakes at the back.
Romero, physical and uncompromising, was named Serie A’s defender of the year for 2020/21 – no mean feat considering he was plying his trade for an Atalanta side that embodies the ‘attack is the best form of defence’ approach to the Beautiful Game.
Personal terms are unlikely to be a problem either.
Romero agreed a four-year, £45,000-a-week deal with Spurs weeks ago.
Is Cristian Romero on the verge of joining Tottenham?
This move, however, is unlikely to signal the end of Spurs’ defensive rebuild.
Toby Alderweireld could still be followed out the door by Eric Dier and Joe Rodon, while Davinson Sanchez may be on his way to Sevilla as a replacement for the much-coveted Jules Kounde.
And Romero isn’t the only Serie A stopper on Fabio Paratici’s radar either.
An agreement was reached recently to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu, Bologna’s versatile Japan international, for about £17 million, although those claims have since been played down.
Nikola Milenkovic, of Fiorentina, wouldn’t break the bank either, having refused to extend a contract that will expire in July 2023.
Reports last week suggested the 6ft 5in Serbian would welcome the chance to join Nuno Espirito Santo in north London.
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