Barcelona have made an attempt to hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Atalanta defender Cristian Romero – but they have failed.
That’s according to Tuttomercatoweb, who claim that Barcelona presented their first offer to Atalanta on Wednesday in the hope of pipping Tottenham to a deal.
Barcelona offered a loan deal with an obligatory purchase clause, but Atalanta rejected the offer.
It’s considered ‘unlikely’ that Barcelona will be able to offer a better deal given their financial situation, but they are still keen.
This should jolt Tottenham into life, as whilst they seem close to signing Romero, they need to get the deal done before another club swoops in.
This could even be a tactic to get Tottenham to pay up, dangling the idea of being hijacked in order to force Fabio Paratici and co to strike a huge deal.
Gianluca Di Marzio reported earlier this week that Romero has already agreed terms on a five-year deal with Tottenham that could stretch to six years.
Tottenham just need to agree terms with Atalanta now, with a deal potential reaching about £46.5million if Di Marzio’s report is correct.
Tottenham are still clear favourites for Romero, but Barcelona appear to be lurking with intent even with their money issues.
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