Atletico Madrid close in on Cristian Romero as Barcelona’s interest fades amid Julian Alvarez pursuit

Atletico Madrid have crossed paths with Barcelona in the transfer market once again, this time over Tottenham center-back Cristian “Cuti” Romero. According to MARCA and Fabrizio Romano, the Madrid club has definitively activated the operation and is preparing a first offer close to €30 million to try to convince Tottenham to sell.

Romero has long been a priority for both the sporting department and manager Diego Simeone, and sporting director Mateu Alemany is reportedly readying what would be the club’s defining move of the window.

Atletico are not alone in the race. Inter Milan have already lodged a formal proposal of their own, worth €35 million fixed plus €5 million in variables, and only Romero’s personal terms left to iron out.

That version of events has since stalled, though, opening the door for Atletico to make their move — and, crucially, Romero is now reported to prefer a switch to Madrid over Milan.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have effectively fallen out of the race despite once being the player’s clear priority. Romero reportedly prioritized a move to Barcelona for much of the summer, turning down other suitors while he waited on an offer from the Catalan club and even showing willingness to lower his salary demands to smooth the operation. That offer never came, and it was Inter and Atletico who ultimately moved instead.

Barcelona haven’t given up on Alvarez

Barcelona’s absence from the Romero race is no coincidence — the club’s full attention remains fixed on Julian Alvarez. Despite recent reports suggesting that pursuit had cooled, sporting director Deco and assistant Joao Amaral held a summit in Madrid with Fernando Hidalgo, Alvarez’s agent, to keep the operation alive and plan out next steps with Atletico Madrid.

The meeting is not being sold internally as a sign the deal is close, but it does confirm that Barcelona have no intention of walking away while any opening remains.

Alvarez himself made his preference for a move to Camp Nou clear during the 2026 World Cup, and Joan Laporta and Deco continue to view him as their No. 1 target to reinforce the attack — a priority significant enough that it has left the club watching from the sidelines as Atletico and Inter fight it out over Romero.