Atlético Madrid agree £34.1m deal for Tottenham’s Cristian Romero

Tottenham have reached an agreement with Atlético Madrid over the sale of their captain, Cristian Romero. Romero was given the green light by the club and Roberto De Zerbi to depart Spurs this summer after a turbulent 2025-26 campaign in which he served four separate suspensions.

Inter initially led the chase for the Argentina centre-back, but after talks with Spurs stalled, long-term admirers Atlético swooped in and a package of €40m (£34.1m) is set to secure Diego Simeone his target.

It will bring a rollercoaster five-year spell in north London to an end for Romero, who joined in 2021 and enjoyed mixed success under Antonio Conte before a strong bond was formed with Ange Postecoglou.

Romero wore the captain’s armband when Tottenham ended a 17-year trophy drought with victory over Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final and produced a fine performance to ensure Postecoglou’s promise of silverware in his second season came true.

However, Postecoglou’s dismissal weeks later was met with a thinly veiled social media post in the direction of Spurs’ hierarchy by Romero and more followed during a chaotic last season where only a final-day win against Everton avoided relegation.

Romero, who was made captain by Thomas Frank ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, was in Argentina days before Tottenham’s 1-0 success over Everton to receive treatment on a knee injury before he got a flight back to be present in the stands. The return of Romero for the relegation decider only occurred after widespread criticism from Spurs supporters and it proved the final nail in the coffin for many fans.

The World Cup winner will exit Spurs after 156 appearances and link up with his compatriot Simeone, who has repeatedly talked up the quality of the Argentinian in recent seasons and will finally get his man this summer.

Tottenham have inserted a 15% sell-on clause in the deal and this imminent departure continues a summer of mass changes with De Zerbi overseeing a huge revamp of a squad which has finished 17th in consecutive seasons.

Newly promoted Hull have broken their transfer record to sign the Senegal defender Nobel Mendy from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. They also signed Australia international Lucas Herrington on Wednesday.

The Tigers have not disclosed the fee for the 21-year-old Mendy but it exceeds the reported £20m they paid for the Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis last week. Mendy, who has one international cap and previously played for Paris FC and Real Betis, has signed a five-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months. He finished his only season with Rayo Vallecano with an appearance in May’s Conference League final loss to Crystal Palace.

“I have wanted to play in the Premier League since I was little, so it’s a great challenge to face and I am ready for it,” Mendy told Hull’s website.

Herrington, 18, became Australia’s youngest player to start a World Cup game for the Socceroos this summer, and arrived from MLS side Colorado Rapids on a five-year deal.

Crystal Palace have re-signed Aston Villa’s Evann Guessand on loan for the season with an option to buy. The Côte d’Ivoire international made 14 appearances after moving to Selhurst Park in January until the end of last season, but in July Palace opted against making the move permanent.

The 25-year-old joined Villa from Ligue 1 side Nice for £30m last summer but failed to win a regular place in Unai Emery’s side.

Celtic have signed the Egypt winger Haissem Hassan from Spanish club Real Oviedo, subject to international clearance. The 24-year-old, who impressed at this summer’s World Cup, joins the Scottish champions on a four-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.

“When I heard about Celtic being interested in me, I had to get here and be part of the club,” Hassan told the club’s website. Manager Martin O’Neill said Celtic had done “really well” to secure a player of Hassan’s quality amid interest from other clubs.

“He is someone who I think has the ability and experience to do very well for us, performing at a high level in domestic and international football,” said O’Neill.

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.