Atletico Madrid sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentina international, 28, moves to the Spanish capital in a deal worth in the region of €40million (£34.1m; $46m).

He has signed a long-term contract with Atletico while Spurs hold a 15 per cent sell-on fee.

Romero was a key figure in helping the club end their 17-year trophy drought with the Europa League win in 2025, with his central defensive partnership with Micky van de Ven crucial, especially in the knockout stages.

He was also frequently a target for criticism for supporters, however, with his perceived proneness to injury and poor disciplinary record — six red cards in five years — particular issues.

Today, I say goodbye to a place that, for five seasons, was much more than a club. It was my home, my challenge and the place where my family and I built such an important part of our lives.

I leave with a heart full of memories and enormous pride for everything we lived and… pic.twitter.com/Bc340TKNtq

— Cuti Romero (@CutiRomero2) August 14, 2026

Despite being club captain he was nearly not present for the final league match of the season in May, a game which decided the club’s Premier League status, before he ultimately returned from his native Argentina in time to attend.

Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta in the summer of 2021, initially on loan before making the move permanent a year later for €53m. He made 123 Premier League appearances in total for the club.

Spurs have already moved to bolster the middle of their backline this summer with Marco Senesi joining on a free transfer from Bournemouth and Jan Paul van Hecke arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £52m deal.

---

What legacy does he leave at Tottenham?

This is probably the best possible outcome for Spurs.

It has been apparent for a long time that they needed to move on from Romero and, crucially, they have agreed to sell him to Atletico before the new season starts.

If the defender had returned to first-team training following an extended break after his involvement with Argentina at the World Cup, the uncertainty around his future would have been an unwelcome distraction. Atletico have been courting Romero for over a year and are a far better option than the prospect of selling him to rivals Arsenal.

Some people will be wondering why Spurs could not command a bigger fee for their captain who only signed a new long-term contract last year and has won multiple trophies at international level. The 28-year-old’s injury history and poor disciplinary record would have worked against Spurs during negotiations.

Romero leaves a complicated legacy behind in north London. Romero’s centre-back partnership with Micky van de Ven was crucial to Spurs winning the Europa League in the 2024-25 season, which was their first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Romero was nearly faultless in the knockout stages of the competition and rallied his team-mates at half-time in the final against Manchester United. Over the last 12 months, he has popped up with some crucial goals, including an overhead kick in stoppage time to rescue a point against Newcastle United.

However, there have been six red cards since he initially joined them on loan from Atalanta in August 2021 which is more than any other Premier League player in that period, while he criticised the club’s senior figures on multiple occasions via social media.

Spurs have already moved on by buying Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton earlier this summer. Romero’s dramatic five-year spell with Spurs is over.