Tottenham Hotspur is determined not to lose key players to Real again like Luca Modric and Gareth Bale.
British media Football Insider reported on the 12th (Korea time) that Tottenham is not interested in Real Madrid's interest in Romero.
The media said, "Tottenham will not enjoy sending Romero an offer as Real plans to reignite its long-term interest. Romero has been on Real's recruitment list for a long time," adding, "Real lacks a center back."
Real's defense is in danger. Eder Militão is out due to a cruciate ligament injury and is likely to be absent for a long time. David Alaba is also missing his organs due to knee ligament injuries, and Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez are also out due to injuries to side fullbacks.
The media said, "Tottenham desperately tries to keep Romero despite Real's aggressive moves. Tottenham plans to strengthen its defense in January," adding that Romero will not be able to leave.
Romero joined Tottenham in the summer of 2022 and is under contract until the summer of 2027. As there is a lot of time left on his contract, if Real want Romero, he has to spend a huge transfer fee.
Another British media outlet, Team Talk, said, "Real can surprise Tottenham manager Anji Postecoglou. Tottenham wants to prepare for Real's massive offer," adding, "Postecoglou may have to run next season without one of the most important players, Romero. Romero is also vice-captain and enjoys playing under Postecoglou, but it will be very difficult to reject Real's offer."
British media outlet The Hard Tackle also reported, "Tottenham is not willing to sell Romero despite Real Madrid's interest. They have no intention of approving Romero's transfer, the mainstay of defense."
The media said, "Real have long been interested in Romero, who has done amazing things for the club and the country. Real are rekindling interest in the Argentine national defender, but Tottenham do not want to sell Romero," adding, "Tottenham is desperate to keep Romero, who is signed until 2027. We have not made any progress on a potential new contract, but sending out the main players is not an option. Real will have to look for another target."
Romero moved to Serie A (Italy) Genoa in the summer of 2018 and entered the European stage. After a good performance in Genoa, Juventus recruited him and sent him on re-lease.
However, Romero, who failed to secure a place at Juventus, left Atalanta on loan, where he performed brilliantly with manager Gianluca Gasperini and won the Serie A Most Valuable Player Award. He joined Tottenham on loan in the summer of 2021, made his Premier League debut, and a year later, he made a full transfer and became a key defender for Tottenham.
Romero has been leading the team as vice-captain along with captain Son Heung-min since last season. Romero has refrained from fouling or tackling tough times in the past, adding a sense of stability to his solid defense. He has been keeping Tottenham's defense balance by working with his new defense partner Mickey van der Pen.
Real have been keeping an eye on Romero since last summer. In addition to Alaba's long-term injury, Antonio Rudiger and the aging of Alaba are also a concern for Real. Alaba, who is the same age as Son Heung-min, and Rudiger, who is a year younger, are going back and forth due to injuries, while Militão was ruled out for the season due to major injuries. Even if he returns, he cannot say for sure how good he will be in next season.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti chose to drop Aurelien Tchouameni as center back, but Tchouameni is also injured and cannot be utilized. There is a center back called Jesus Bayejo, but he has been on loan due to his poor skills and has not been used as a resource for the first team. This is why Real need center back resources right now.
Argentine TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul said in August, "Real wanted to sign Romero this summer and we have contacted Tottenham. However, Tottenham refused to negotiate." Real are moving to contact Romero again as the situation becomes urgent.
In addition to Romero, Real are also keeping an eye on Everton's big defensive prospect Jarrod Brenswaite on the recruitment list. Since Real urgently needs to strengthen its defense, it cannot be ruled out that it will move quickly in the winter transfer market in January, not in the summer.
Tottenham plans to renew the contract. According to British media Give Me Sports, Tottenham plans to offer Romero the highest salary. Currently, the highest salary in Tottenham is Son Heung-min, who receives 190,000 pounds (340.43 million won) every week. However, Romero will reportedly be offered 200,000 pounds (358.77 million won).
In terms of annual salary, Son Heung-min is 18 billion won and Romero is 19 billion won.
This attitude contrasts completely with the situation of Son Heung-min, who has less than a year left on his contract. Tottenham only plans to activate Son Heung-min's option to extend his contract for one year.
"Tottenham and Son Heung-min, who re-signed in 2021, will expire in the summer of 2025, seven months later," the Telegraph said. "The club has the right to extend it by one year. Tottenham just needs to inform Son Heung-min that they have invoked this option, and the media understands that they are fully willing to do so."
"Son Heung-min is approaching his 10th year as he came to Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 for a transfer fee of 22 million pounds (about 39.5 billion won), and is considered one of the most successful transfer market performances for Tottenham in the modern era," he reported.
However, it is true that it is difficult to sign a long-term contract easily because Son Heung-min is heading towards his mid-30s. Nevertheless, showing a different stance from Romero will come as a regret to fans.
Furthermore, if Son Heung-min and Tottenham, who have reached the age of 32, invoke the contract extension clause, Son Heung-min will turn 34 in the summer of 2026. Due to the nature of the club, which only offers a one-year contract renewal to a player in his mid-30s, the possibility of continuing annual negotiations cannot be ruled out even if Son Heung-min renews his contract, and the transfer can be decided not to remain.
Tottenham fan media Spurs News reported, "The current attitude toward whether to offer Son Heung-min of Tottenham a new contract has left Son quite dissatisfied. Son has entered his last contract period at Tottenham. The club has an option to extend it until the summer of 2026, but it has not activated it."
He added, "He is the second longest-staying player at Tottenham after Ben Davies. He is in his 10th season. However, Tottenham is key in deciding whether to join him in the future." 스포츠토토
The media said, "Tottenham does not currently plan to renew the contract with Son Heung-min for a long time. Tottenham will issue a one-year extension, but next season will be his last Tottenham season. The new contract conversation took place right after coach Anji Postecoglou came in last summer, but it has stopped since then and Son Heung-min is not happy with the situation."
If Tottenham does not issue an option to extend his contract with Son within December this year, it will give Son an opportunity to allow other teams to freely proceed with negotiations starting in January. Attention is focusing on whether Tottenham will make a decision within this year.