Tottenham star center back Cristian Romero has been the subject of more intense transfer speculation than any other Spurs player heading into the summer 2025 market, but much of that rumor and innuendo has died down after the Argentinian international showcased his importance to the team.
Despite some poor showings in the Premier League and a very ill-advised interview response, Romero made all that forgiven and forgotten with three colossal defensive displays in elimination games in the Europa League knockouts against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodo Glimt, and, of course, Manchester United in the Final itself.
Now, it appears Tottenham are working increasingly hard to keep Romero around in North London, and in the latest transfer twist, Spanish outlet Diario Sport's Jonathan Moreno reports that now Spurs are reluctant to even negotiate with Atletico Madrid over a Romero transfer this summer.
Tottenham aren't going to get lowballed
This represents a huge shift in the transfer narrative that initially began more quietly earlier in the month of May to more of a stand that indicates Tottenham will be very, very resistant to selling Romero.
Although Atletico Madrid were so heavily interested in Tottenham that some even reported that he had already agreed to a deal with the Rojiblancos, Diego Simeone's men were heavily lowballing Spurs with offers around 20 million euros below Romero's market value. So that's not going to cut it, especially after the Tottenham center back was honored as the best player in the entire Europa League tournament with the trophy by his side.
Right now, Transfermarkt has Romero listed as a 55 million euro player, so if Tottenham aren't eager to even get to the negotiating table with Atletico Madrid, then it stands to reason that only a financial offer worth substantially more than that would sway them. Although Atleti love Romero and have shown a willingness to spend big on big Premier League talents like Julian Alvarez last summer, it's hard to see them offering around 70 million euros for Romero, which may be what it takes to sign him if Spurs really dig their heels in.
The real key is obviously Romero. If he wants to stay in Tottenham after the fresh glory of a Europa League title triumph, then he can help Spurs make it too difficult for Atletico to sign the 26-year-old Tottenham vice captain. And although keeping Ange Postecoglou will apparently help retain Romero, too, the player could still be more inclined to stay, too, especially if Spurs can make him feel valued. Champions League football is quite the draw, huh?