Cristian Romero confirms Tottenham exit as he nears £34million transfer

Cristian Romero has confirmed that he is leaving Tottenham in a social media post after agreeing a deal to join Atletico Madrid.

Atletico have reached an agreement in principle to sign Romero for a fee worth £34million, talkSPORT understands.

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The Spurs captain has long been tipped for a summer exit from north London, and he has now announced his departure.

Serie A giants Napoli were set to pay £34m for Romero, but were unable to agree terms with the player, while more recently, he was linked with a shock switch to Spurs’ bitter rivals Arsenal.

Inter Milan also held talks with him earlier in the summer, but the Argentine is now set to get his dream move to Spain.

With a fee now agreed for him to join Atletico, Spurs will also retain a 15 per cent sell-on clause on any future transfer.

This comes after Romero agreed personal terms with the La Liga side, with a four-year deal on the table, which has the option of a further year.

Romero will join up with compatriot Diego Simeone at Atletico, in a move that will bring to an end his five-year stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs are yet to confirm the sale of their centre-back, but he has already done it himself on his own social media.

What did Romero say in his goodbye statement?

Posting on his Instagram on Friday evening, Romero wrote: “Today, I say goodbye to a place that, for five seasons, was much more than a club. It was my home, my challenge and the place where my family and I built such an important part of our lives.

“I leave with a heart full of memories and enormous pride for everything we lived and achieved together.

“When I arrived, I had a clear dream: to leave my name in this club’s history. I knew the only way was through hard work, sacrifice and achieving something that had seemed so difficult for so long: lifting a trophy again. And we did it.

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“The journey wasn’t perfect, but I don’t want that to define my goodbye. I choose to remember the happy moments, the lessons, the people who stood by me and, above all, the love I received during these five years.

“Thank you to everyone at the club who shared this journey with me. Coaches, teammates, staff and every person working behind the scenes you are all part of my story and have a place in my heart.

“And to the fans: Thank you for loving me, respecting me and making me feel like one of you from day one. Thank you for every hug, every song, every flag, every applause and for always being there.

“I know I wasn’t perfect, but one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything. I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart.

“THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. I’m leaving the club, but a part of my heart will always remain here.

“Once I was one of you. Today, I leave as one of you forever. With all my love and respect. Thank you for everything. And goodbye.”

Tottenham’s defensive overhaul

Spurs have signed centre-backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi this summer, with Micky van de Ven signing a new deal.

This has left Romero free to leave the club, despite penning a contract extension through to 2029 last August.

His imminent exit comes after he drew criticism from fans for his conduct and ill discipline last season.

Romero was sent off twice in 23 league appearances, and received ten yellow cards as Spurs narrowly avoided relegation.

The 2022 World Cup winner also became embroiled in a storm in May when it was reported that he was to miss Tottenham’s crucial final game of the season in favour of a return to his homeland to watch formative club Belgrano.

With Spurs at risk of relegation and Romero getting wind of fan disgruntlement, he later changed his mind and instead was on hand to support his teammates in their quest for survival.

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‘Get rid of him’

As Romero closes in on a move away from north London, talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara had no qualms about Tottenham losing their captain.

Discussing the defender’s links with Arsenal, the Sports Bar host and former Spurs player insisted the club would be better off without him, and claimed their new arrivals are better options.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, O’Hara said: “Get rid of him. I’ve heard there’s Arsenal chat about him – get rid of him.

“He was a liability for us last season. We’ve finished 17th in the last two seasons – he was the captain. He didn’t want to be there on the last day. It was only because he got told that he had to come back that he ended up coming back. 

“So get rid of him. We’ve got better players now. He’s a liability.

“Van de Ven – make him captain. He’s a player that you want in your side. You got Senesi, Van Hecke. Romero isn’t even going to play.”

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After two disappointing league campaigns, Tottenham have set about kickstarting a new era under Roberto De Zerbi this summer.

Spurs have splashed the cash in a bid to rebuild, spending £237m in total, which includes twice breaking their club transfer record – first to sign Mateus Fernandes and then Sandro Tonali from West Ham and Newcastle respectively.

And O’Hara insisted there is no place for Romero in De Zerbi’s new-look team, even after playing a central role in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.

Continuing to blast Romero, he added: “I’m happy to see the back of him.

“We need a new era under De Zerbi and it looks like he’s putting a right good team together. We’ll see what happens, but it looks like we’ve got a right good team and the players seem to like him.

“But Romero isn’t part of it. Get rid of him, get as much as we can.”