Barcelona planning to hijack Tottenham’s pursuit of Atalanta defender Cristian Romero

La Liga giants Barcelona are interested in Atalanta defender Cristian Romero. Previously Tottenham Hotspur reportedly made a £42m offer.

Cristian Romero of Atalanta
Cristian Romero of Atalanta - IMAGO / Independent Photo Agency

The Catalan club has joined the race for the highly-rated Argentine defender.

Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero continues to be a top target for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, who have reportedly made a £42m offer.

However, according to a new reportBarcelona are ready to go ahead of Spurs in the transfer race for the young Argentine centre-back.

The 23-year-old joined Atalanta from Juventus on loan last season and turned everyone’s head with his impressive performances, which saw him win Serie A’s MVP defender award. He followed up with a stellar campaign in Copa America, and he played a key role in the defence to help Argentina lift the title.

Atalanta are set to exercise the 14m pounds buy-out option, but they are also willing to sell him this summer after receiving huge offers from Europe’s top clubs.

Fabio Paratici, the new Sporting Director of Spurs, has identified Romero as one of the transfer priorities ahead of the summer overhaul.

Barca could look to scour the market for defensive reinforcements as they are ready to part ways with players like Samuel Umititi and Clement Lenglet. The Catalan club is facing challenging times financially, and they are forced to trim the wage bill by offloading some of the players who are deemed surplus to requirements.

Given their financial state, it looks uncertain that the Blaugrana would be willing to afford Romero’s valuation. Their strategy in this transfer window turns out to be signing free agents and cost-effective players.

Although Barca president Joan Laporta has claimed that there would be few more signings this summer, the club’s priority is understood to be extending Lionel Messi’s contract. Barca have to comply with La Liga spending norms which restricts the Catalonia team to a fraction of last season.