Atletico Madrid preparing bid for Tottenham defender Cristian Romero | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are expecting a bid from Atletico Madrid for centre-back Cristian Romero.

According to Marca, the Spanish giants have made the Argentine centre-back their priority target and are ready to test Tottenham’s resolve.

It’s been clear that the ‘exceptional’ 28-year-old could leave Tottenham this summer after dropping several hints about wanting a return to Spain.

Tottenham have already taken the proactive step to bring in reinforcements in that area by signing Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.

Those additions already made it clear that Tottenham were prepared for this eventuality, and now they’re ready to sanction Romero’s long-awaited exit.

Tottenham have already made it clear that the Argentine defender can leave the club if they receive a bid of around €40 million (£34m).

That shouldn’t be a problem for Atletico, but they’re preparing to offer a lower bid to get formal negotiations with Tottenham underway.

The Spanish giants are preparing an opening offer of around €30m (£25m), although negotiations could become more competitive with other clubs also interested in the World Cup winner.

Romero has been on Atletico’s shortlist for more than a year.

They made a serious attempt to sign him during the previous transfer window, but the move failed after they were unable to match Tottenham’s asking price.

However, he never stopped being a priority for Atletico manager Diego Simeone, who sees Romero as the ideal addition to strengthen the heart of his defence.

Interestingly, Inter Milan have already met Tottenham’s asking price for Romero.

The Serie A champions have reportedly agreed a £34m deal for the Argentine centre-back, but that move hasn’t gone any further.

Romero has his heart set on a move to Madrid and is willing to play the waiting game rather than commit to Inter.

Tottenham are ready to cash in on Romero but won’t sanction an exit if Atletico doesn’t at least match the offer they received from Inter.

Atletico are currently trying to offload a couple of players to make room for Romero’s wages, which is one of the largest at Tottenham.