Cristian Romero will leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs have had a very busy summer so far, bringing in six players for Roberto De Zerbi. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Martin Dubravka have all joined on free transfers, while the club has also signed Jan Paul van Hecke for around £52m, and broken their transfer record twice to sign Mateus Fernandes (£85m) and Sandro Tonali (£100m).

But while De Zerbi is keen to continue adding to his squad before the new season, with forwards seen as a priority, it has now emerged that he will lose his captain during the transfer window.

Romano: Romero to Leave Tottenham

Romero, who has been described as ‘world-class’, had been expected to leave the north London club this summer after growing frustrated at the club not competing at the highest level.

Spurs have signed two new central defenders already this summer in anticipation of his exit, but Romano has now revealed that talks are underway for the Argentina star to depart.

Serie A champions Inter Milan have opened discussions over a deal to take him back to Serie A, while also showing an interest in full-back Djed Spence, but they are not alone in their interest.

Spanish champions Barcelona are also keen on a deal for the 28-year-old, as they look to bolster their defensive options. However, it’s understood that the costs of the deal would be very high, which is making any move stall at this stage.

However, it has now been confirmed that Romero will leave the club, and all parties are working towards finding an agreement to get the deal done once he returns from the World Cup.

Tottenham Well Prepared for Romero Exit

While it has now been reported as a certainty, Spurs will have known that their captain was going to be on the move for much longer.

Despite being a hugely important and popular figure in the changing room, it was known that he was unhappy when he started making public posts going against the ownership. His injury at the end of the season also meant that he wasn’t around during the run-in where they saved themselves from relegation.

Spurs have already got their replacements in, and De Zerbi will have known when he took over that this was likely, so now it’s just about getting the best possible deal.

Tottenham are set for fresh interest in one of their World Cup stars this summer, and Chelsea may have had a hand in it. Spurs have had a memorable summer transfer window so far, splashing out more than £235million to strengthen their squad and welcoming Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali as well as others.

Roberto De Zerbi is expected to turn Spurs into a side ready to qualify for Europe, and he is being given money to spend to transform a squad that has finished in the bottom half in back-to-back seasons. But while the spending has taken up all of Tottenham’s window so far, there will be exits.

Spurs will have to balance the spending, at least somewhat, and there are players who are going to want to leave the club this summer, while others may get their head turned by other teams.

Inter Milan join race for Tottenham’s Djed Spence

England World Cup star Djed Spence is attracting attention this summer, with Everton and Liverpool having already been linked, while there is now said to be fresh competition. According to reports in Italy, as detailed by Football Italia, Inter Milan are now considering a deal for Spence as they look to solve their right-back need this summer. Inter are said to have been on track to sign Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra only for Chelsea to hijack the deal, and that has led them back into the market.

Nahuel Molina and Brooke Norton-Cuffy are also said to be under consideration, but as is Spence, who has a reported asking price of £40million this summer. Spurs will want to keep the versatile full-back, who is enjoying a solid World Cup for England, largely playing off the bench.

Spence is becoming a reliable player

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis

Spence’s development at Tottenham has not been linear, and it once looked as though his Spurs career was over before it had really begun. But the full-back has slowly become more dependable, and he was one of the more reliable players last season. A BBC Sport report of Spence’s performances back in February read: “He has even been playing out of position – fielded at left-back to fill in for Destiny Udogie when he is more naturally a right-back. Admittedly, there have been plenty of defeats on his watch, but Spence has held his own and the stats bear witness to his impact.

“Among defenders, only the combative Cristian Romero has a better duel success percentage this season in the Premier League for Tottenham – from exactly the same number of duels (the joint-third most for the team). Even more striking is the number of times he has been dribbled past – or not.

“His record of being beaten only three times is the best of any Tottenham defender. Compare that with his full-back rivals Udogie and Pedro Porro (even though they have played more minutes than Spence), and his ability in one-on-one situations is emphasised.”

After Spence’s impressive cameo for England against Norway, Rio Ferdinand posted on X: “DJED SPENCE – respect. People need to put some respect on his name!”

After Spain’s 2-0 win over France in Tuesday night’s World Cup semi-final, fans are waxing lyrical about one player in particular who ‘deserves a Ballon d’Or‘ for his ‘masterclass’ performance in Dallas, Texas.

The European champions are through to a second major international tournament final in a row after their pass-to-death philosophy under Luis De La Fuente suffocated the clear favourites for glory on Sunday. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a penalty in the 22nd minute, and their relentless possession forced a second goal through Pedro Porro on the hour-mark.

It was also a fixture that finally saw Lamine Yamal return to form, as he proved a constant nightmare for the French defenders. But it’s another player who has everyone talking about him in the fallout, despite him not currently being considered for the mantle of the best player of the past 12 months.

World Cup Fans Claim Spain Player Deserves Ballon d’Or – Not Lamine Yamal

Hannah McKay via Reuters

There’s no better way to describe the Euro 2024 winners’ playing style than ‘death by a thousand cuts’, and while that can often be a laborious watch for some as they aim to slowly put their opponents to sleep, enthusiasts couldn’t help but lay special praise on Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who looked like he was back to his very best again this week, despite still recovering from an ACL injury.

One X user called him a “monster” while another claimed Rodri had “swallowed the French players.” Meanwhile, a third remarked: “Spain proving the midfield is the most important part of the pitch. What Rodri is doing to them should not be televised, as a fourth added:

In his dominant 90-minute performance at the base of a midfield that once again had no Pedri in it after his boss decided to keep him on the bench, Rodri completed 87 per cent of his passes, won four tackles, all four of his aerial duels, made 15 progressive carries, and made two clearances.

There’s no wonder some users also called him a “special, special midfielder”, as another X user concluded: “Rodri is back to his very best, there’s no DM/CM at his level, none of them can sit on the same table as him. He is in a world of his own. All your Rice, Pedri and Vitinha are no match for Rodri. Beast If Spain wins the World Cup, he should just be given the Ballon d’Or.”

Spain Through to Second Major International Final in a Row

La Roja have exploded into life at the perfect time this summer, with everything clicking into place on Tuesday night to prove they could be building a dynasty following their European Championship success just two years ago.

En-route to the final, which will see them face either Argentina or England at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday night, Spain have only conceded once all tournament. Should they keep a clean sheet at the weekend, they will set a new record for fewest goals conceded at a World Cup previously held by themselves in the 2010 edition (2), as well as Italy in 2006 and France in 1998.

For their opponents, they will face an unenviable task of not only trying to get the ball past Unai Simon and his near-faultless defence, but merely getting the ball off Spain in the first place will take some doing.