Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly doing everything they can to get rid of their captain, Cristian Romero, this summer.
While the defender's promotion to skipper was just off the back of a heroic display in the Europa League final, his first (and surely only) season with the armband was a disaster. The maturity and focus with which Romero performed in Europe the season prior dissipated, and bad habits re-emerged.
Availability was a major issue, and concentration lapses often cost his team. He embodied the club's instability, and some would argue that his absence down the stretch last season actually aided Roberto De Zerbi.
He's a walking dichotomy. At his best, Romero is a world beater. We saw that iteration of the Argentine yet again at the World Cup, with his level of performance across the Atlantic making you wonder why exactly Spurs are happy to part ways.
The club understandably wants a reset, and Romero fancies a change of scenary. His market has strengthened post-World Cup, but it remains unclear whether Spurs will be able to attain a fair fee for his services this summer.
John Stones' Inter transfer doesn't rule out Cristian Romero move
Inter Milan had been the frontrunners for his signature, but the murmurs out of Italy hadn't been entirely convincing. We've been hearing that the potential deal would be too expensive for the Nerazzurri to sanction, and that's even with Spurs selling at a discounted rate.
Now, Inter have pivoted to John Stones. Fabrizio Romano has signed the deal off with a "here we go!"
Stones is a free agent after leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, and is set to complete his transfer by the end of the week. Multiple Premier League clubs will be left disappointed by the development.
Inter's move for Stones doesn't rule them out of the running for Romero because both Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij have left the club this summer. They need at least two through the door, so it should be Stones and more.
While I accept that it's time for Romero to move on, we can't be giving him away for pennies. Inter can't afford a fair fee, but I fear that in our supposed desperation to get rid, they'll be able to sign him for a price they're comfortable with.
The issue Spurs have is Romero's market. The Premier League is where the money is, but we wouldn't want to sell to a domestic rival. Then there's Barcelona, who have rejected the chance to sign Aymeric Laporte but are centre-back needy.
Given their wish to sign Julián Alvarez for a huge fee, though, they, like Inter, would only sign Romero at a discounted rate.
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