Spurs hit obstacle in South American defender deal

Nuno Esperito Santo completed his first major signing as Tottenham Hotspur manager last week, with the acquisition of Sevilla’s Bryan Gil.

The midfielder impressed for the Spanish side in La Liga last term and will now compete for a place in Santo’s Spurs side.

While the Portuguese’s biggest job is arguably persuading Harry Kane to stay put in North London, making signings is also an important priority and it looks like the former Wolves boss may be closing in on a second signing, if a compromise can be reached.

According to The Guardian, the North London side are in talks with Atalanta over the potential signing of defender Cristian Romero.

However, the report states that the two clubs are some way apart in their valuations of the player, with his current employers valuing him at £47 million.

Romero was part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa America this summer.

Spurs are unwilling to meet that valuation and, despite their interest, could be forced to look elsewhere if the Serie A side won’t budge.

Tottenham’s need for a central defender has increased this week as Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld departed to join Qatari club Al-Duhail, for a fee believed to be around £13 million.

The Belgium international had spent six years with the Lilywhites, reaching the Champions League final in 2019.

If an agreement for Romero cannot be reached, it’s claimed that Spurs may once again turn their attention to Bologna’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, who they had previously been linked with.

Another possible target could be Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, who is believed to be for sale for the right price, however it is unknown if the Blues would sell to a fierce London rival.