Planned deal faces Spanish hijack as star's entourage accelerate talks after Inter Milan lose momentum

Inter Milan’s move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has stalled over the player’s personal terms, with sources confirming to TEAMtalk that his representatives are now actively exploring potential moves to Spain and with four sides now in the mix to sign the Argentine.

We previously revealed that Inter had emerged as favourites to sign the 28-year-old and that Spurs had accepted the defender wanted to leave north London this summer.

Indeed, Tottenham have now agreed a deal in principle worth €40million with the Serie A champions, but the transfer has yet to progress because an agreement has not been reached with Romero himself.

Inter Milan remain in discussions with the player’s camp, but TEAMtalk understands there is still a significant gap between the club’s offer and Romero’s salary demands.

Sources insist negotiations have not broken down entirely, though, and neither party has walked away from the table.

However, the delay has allowed Romero’s representatives to assess alternative opportunities and now an eye-catching move to LaLiga looks just as feasible for the 58-cap Argentina star…

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Spanish trio in mix for Romero hijack

The Italians are also pressing ahead with strengthening their defence elsewhere.

As we previously revealed, Inter want to sign both John Stones and Romero this summer, and on Thursday the Serie A champions completed the first part of that plan after Stones signed his two-year contract following a successful medical in Milan.

Inter’s intention remains to pair the England international alongside Romero, making the Tottenham defender their next priority once the contractual issues are resolved.

However, we understand Romero’s camp are now holding talks with clubs in Spain – and are seeking to use the delay to engineer a better package for their client, and secure him his dream move to LaLiga in the process.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all retain an interest in the World Cup winner and have been kept informed of his situation.

While all three LaLiga giants admire Romero, none have progressed as far as Inter. Neither negotiations over personal terms nor formal talks with Tottenham have reached the level already established by the Italian champions.

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that any offer from Spain would surpass the financial package currently on the table from Inter.

Romero’s future has also been addressed publicly by new Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Speaking this week, the Italian admitted he is a huge admirer of the defender but made it clear he has no intention of keeping players who no longer want to represent the club.

“Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players,” De Zerbi told Football London. That stance reflects Tottenham’s current position.

Sources close to Spurs believe Romero’s departure remains the most likely outcome before the transfer window closes, but they also recognise there is still work to do.

Should negotiations with Inter ultimately collapse and no agreement be reached with a Spanish club, there remains a genuine possibility that Romero will report back to Tottenham next month despite both player and club expecting a summer exit.

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