Cristian Romero Nears Atletico Madrid Move as Spurs Face Transfer Challenges
Cristian Romero edges closer to the Atletico Madrid exit door, Djed Spence is being lined up as a key piece in Inter Milan’s rebuild, and Tottenham’s own transfer plans are running straight into the brick wall of the Premier League rulebook. For a club that “wants to make further signings,” the margins are suddenly getting tight.
Romero talks advance as Atletico circle
Cristian Romero has spent the summer on the rumour mill, with Arsenal’s name briefly thrown into the mix, but the defender now looks far closer to a move abroad than a switch across north London.
Transfer reporter Matteo Moretto claims Atletico Madrid are closing in on an agreement with Tottenham, with only minor details left to iron out between the clubs. No fee has been disclosed at this stage, but the tone around the deal has shifted: this is no longer a speculative link, it is a negotiation heading towards the finish line.
If Romero goes, Spurs lose one of their most aggressive, front-foot defenders. They also gain a valuable non-homegrown slot in a squad that is creaking under the weight of the registration rules.
Spence becomes Chivu’s priority at Inter
On the other flank of Spurs’ defensive picture, Djed Spence has moved from fringe figure in north London to headline target in Milan.
Italian outlet Corriere reports that new Inter boss Cristian Chivu has made Spence his No. 1 priority to replace Denzel Dumfries, who has departed for Real Madrid. According to the same report, personal terms between Spence and Inter are already agreed, and the two clubs are close to striking a deal worth around £25 million.
For Spurs, it would be a clean, decisive sale. For Spence, a reset at a club that has turned full-backs and wing-backs into stars. For Chivu, it is the first big call of his Inter tenure.
Homegrown rules squeeze Spurs’ transfer plans
The backdrop to all of this is the Premier League’s registration rules, which are threatening to choke off Tottenham’s ability to refresh the squad.
Clubs can register up to 25 senior players, with a maximum of 17 non-homegrown. The rest must be homegrown. As things stand, Spurs are close to their limit, which means every non-homegrown arrival has to be balanced by a departure.
Right now, the situation is blunt: Tottenham can only add a player aged 21 or under without running into problems, unless they sell more senior players this summer. Any move for an established foreign signing risks triggering a chain reaction of exits.
Romero’s potential sale, Spence’s likely departure and other mooted moves are not just football decisions; they are also accounting for space.
Bergvall’s future still in the balance
Lucas Bergvall sits in a different kind of limbo. The 20-year-old has finally seen the pitch under Roberto De Zerbi in pre-season, but his long-term future is still unresolved.
Earlier in the summer, his camp informed Spurs that the midfielder wanted a fresh challenge to continue his development. As previously reported by football.london, Bergvall had grown frustrated last season at the lack of training time, let alone match minutes, in his preferred role as a number eight.
Pre-season has softened that stance slightly. football.london understands there is an appreciation from the player’s side that De Zerbi has matched his public praise with a healthy dose of minutes in the warm-up games. The question now is whether those minutes turn into a genuine role once the competitive fixtures begin, or whether the early-summer desire to move on resurfaces before the window shuts.
Osimhen door closes, Gakpo priced out
Up front, the market is just as complicated.
Earlier this week, TeamTalk reported that Spurs had the option to sign Victor Osimhen this summer. Any such possibility now looks dead. Soccernet.ng reports that the Nigerian striker will remain at his club beyond the summer window.
Osimhen is under contract with Galatasaray until June 2029, with no release clause in that deal. The Turkish champions are believed to be planning to hand him the No. 9 shirt and build their attack around the 27-year-old. For Tottenham, that’s one marquee centre-forward target effectively off the board.
Cody Gakpo is another name that has been heavily linked, but the message from Liverpool’s side is clear: he is not available on the cheap, or perhaps at all.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast for Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke said Liverpool do not currently plan to sell Gakpo despite Tottenham’s interest. He stressed that any movement would depend on Liverpool’s own incoming business and their squad depth.
According to O’Rourke, the only way a deal could even be considered is if Spurs table a huge offer of at least £70 million and Liverpool bring in more players. With Liverpool’s squad already described as “a bit short,” they “can’t really afford to let Gakpo go” under current conditions.
So the path to Gakpo is clear in theory but blocked in practice: an enormous bid and a reshaped Liverpool attack, or nothing.
De Zerbi’s attacking wishlist – and the exits to fund it
Tottenham’s ambitions in the market are not limited to Gakpo. Manchester City’s Savinho is a key target. City attacker Omar Marmoush is also believed to be on Roberto De Zerbi’s radar, alongside Gakpo.
These are aggressive, attacking names. They fit De Zerbi’s front-foot style. But they all cost money, and, crucially for Spurs, they all cost squad places.
Cristian Romero, Djed Spence and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario have all been linked with moves away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Each departure would reshape the dressing room and the balance sheet, and would also loosen the grip of those homegrown quotas.
Morning breaks on another day of the window with Spurs chasing creativity and goals, hemmed in by regulations, and weighing up the cost of letting key players walk out the door. The deals are there to be done; the question is how bold Tottenham are prepared to be to make De Zerbi’s wishlist a reality.
