Inter Milan are accelerating efforts to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur, confident they can secure the Argentina international for €40m despite the Premier League club’s €50m valuation. However, a significant obstacle has emerged: Tottenham have refused to accept a loan deal with an obligation to buy, demanding instead an immediate cash payment.
According to Sportitalia, direct negotiations continued between Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio, Romero’s agent Ciro Palermo and Tottenham representatives. The Nerazzurri had initially hoped to replicate the formula used to sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City last summer, when an initial loan preceded a permanent transfer. Spurs’ unwillingness to compromise on payment structure means Inter must now raise the full amount upfront to complete the deal.
De Zerbi urges unhappy players to leave
The dynamics favouring a transfer were reinforced by Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who publicly encouraged dissatisfied squad members to depart. “Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave,” De Zerbi told reporters. “I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation. Because now in football, if you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference.”
Romero, who has 58 senior caps for Argentina, is eager to join Inter and return to Serie A. The 28-year-old defender began his European career with Genoa in 2018 before spells at Juventus and a flourishing period at Atalanta, which prompted Tottenham to pay €53.8m for his services in 2021.
Barcelona exit race
Inter’s path has cleared following reports that Barcelona have withdrawn from the chase, leaving the Milan club as the primary suitors. Ausilio publicly confirmed Inter’s interest, stating: “There is certainly interest and we expressed our interest to both the player and the club. These things take a long time, but there is certainly interest, so we’ll see.”
While the €10m valuation gap remains negotiable, Inter still need to agree personal terms with Romero regarding contract length, salary and bonuses. To fund the cash purchase, Inter may reallocate resources originally set aside to replace Denzel Dumfries, instead utilising Andy Diouf at right-back.