Tottenham already preparing for Van de Ven, Romero exits as centre-back search begins | OneFootball

With relegation a serious possibility, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly scouring the centre-back market as they prepare for the potential departures of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the summer.

Igor Tudor’s side suffered a derby defeat to north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, losing 4-1 to the Premier League leaders.

It was another chastening day for Tottenham supporters, who watched their team lose a league match at home for the eighth time this season.

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table after 27 games and the prospect of relegation to the Championship is becoming more realistic every week.

They finished 17th last season as Ange Postecoglou prioritised the Europa League, and the Australian could afford to do so as the relegated trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton were all very poor and effectively down by February.

The gap between Spurs and the bottom three is now four points after West Ham United drew with Bournemouth on Saturday, and with the Hammers, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United all improving, new head coach Tudor should be as worried as the supporters.

On paper, Spurs have a team that should be nowhere near the drop zone, but it is also an uninspiring squad that will not come close to winning the Premier League.

That being said, there are players who could be sold for significant fees.

Two of those players are starting centre-backs Romero and Van de Ven.

The Spurs defenders have been linked with both Madrid clubs, with Liverpool and Real Madrid reportedly keen on Van de Ven and Atletico reportedly keen on Romero, who might be the most Atletico Madrid player never to play for Atletico Madrid.

Both would cost a fortune, but Spurs are already preparing for their potential departures, and Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae has emerged on their radar as a possible replacement.

Transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Spurs are expecting offers for the pair and are “looking at some centre-backs who might be available”.

O’Rourke told Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast: “Look, if Spurs are out of Europe and struggling, they’re going to find themselves more susceptible to offers for their best players.

“It’s going to be an interesting summer for Tottenham, let’s see where they are.

“They’ll be desperate to get out of this relegation dogfight and improve their squad to avoid a similar situation in the coming seasons.

“Let’s see if something happens with Romero and Van de Ven. If both of those players were to leave, obviously they will need to bring in replacements.

“I think they’ve been looking at some centre-backs who might be available. Kim, I think, has got all the attributes to be a success in the Premier League.

“It’s a tough deal to do, and there are a number of clubs who will be looking at Kim’s situation at Bayern, especially if he decides he wants to move on.”