Tottenham face competition for £51m-rated defender – Should Paratici pursue the deal? | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona want Cristian Romero

According to a report by Italian outlet Sportitalia (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham Hotspur will face competition from Barcelona for the signature of Atalanta star, Cristian Romero. The 23-year-old defender is valued at £51m by the Bergamo-based club but Spurs are trying to negotiate for a deal in the region of £42m.

Earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano tweeted that Romero remains a priority signing for the Lilywhites. The Argentina international, who won Copa America this summer, got his first taste of European football when Genoa signed him from Belgrano in 2018 and he has since impressed in Italy. But with Barcelona now in the race, should Fabio Paratici engage in a potential bidding war to bring Romero to England?

Spurs urgently need a centre-back

The centre-back situation at Tottenham is a bit precarious right now. They lost Jan Vertonghen last year to SL Benfica and instead of bringing in a big name to directly replace him, trusted Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez to do the job in defence alongside Toby Alderweireld. But this trio may not be at N17 next season.

Cristian Romero (L) in action during a Serie A match against Juventus. (imago Images)

According to football.london, Sevilla have an interest in Spurs’ Colombian defender, Sanchez, while TalkSPORT (h/t football.london) mentions that Dier could well be sold in the summer. Alderweireld, on the other hand, has already departed the club. He is now at Qatari side, Al-Duhail, after 6 years at Tottenham since his move from Southampton in 2015.

That leaves Spurs potentially short at the back. Joe Rodon was a regular for Wales at the 2020 UEFA European Championship and the 23-year-old can do a job in Spurs’ defence. But Spurs need to bring in some quality names if they seek to replace Alderweireld or any other defender that leaves in the future.

Moreover, Japhet Tanganga, at 22, is yet to make himself a regular first-team player week in week out. Cameron Carter-Vickers, on the other hand, is also said to be up for sale this summer (h/t Express). It is evident that Spurs are in need of quality personnel at the back, especially when one considers Nuno Espirito Santo’s track record.

Cristian Romero (R) is linked with a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. (imago Images)

Romero could be a useful signing for Tottenham

The Portuguese manager famously played with a five-man backline during his time as a Wolverhampton Wanderers manager. While there is no indication of him wanting to follow the same formula at Spurs, any such attempt to play in that formation would require the club to have greater depth in their defensive line-up.

Romero can be the man that solves a few of the aforementioned issues. With plenty of top-flight experience in Serie A as well as game-time in the UEFA Champions League, the former Genoa man can come into Spurs’ XI and potentially replace Alderweireld as a starter. If not, he can offer quality backup to their current defenders until he is himself ready for regular first-team action.

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And at 23, there is still until he hits his peak years. While his valuation might be a little higher than what Spurs would have wanted it to be, it would be wise of them to dish out the money in order to add the quality centre-back to their squad. Signing a central defender seems like a necessity and Romero presents himself as an option Spurs should not overlook.