Argentina national team defender Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero is the latest signing for Spanish giants Atlético Madrid, who have agreed to bring him in from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of 40 million euros, with additional bonuses.
Romero will sign a five-year contract with long-term admirers Atlético, according to local media reports, which added Spurs have inserted a 15-percent sell-on clause into the deal.
The defender, who won the World Cup in 2022 with the national team in Qatar, will leave England after five seasons to join Diego Simeone’s side.
Atlético have tried to sign the Argentine defender in previous transfer windows and came close to securing his move on previous occasions.
This time, negotiations have been successful and the English side have agreed to part ways with one of their key defensive players.
Romero, who has previously said he would like to play in La Liga, has committed himself to five seasons with the Madrid team.
The centre half came through the ranks at Cordoba-based side Belgrano and made the move to European football after making a name for himself in Argentina. He initially continued his career in Italy, where he played for Genoa and Atalanta, before moving to England.
At Tottenham, he established himself as a first-team regular and became a key figure within the squad, as well as emerging as one of the most important Argentine centre-backs in European football.
He took over the captaincy and was in inspirational form when Spurs won the 2025 Europa League final, ending the English side’s 17-year trophy drought.
Last season, however, went poorly. The 28-year-old was sent off twice last season during an awful year in which Spurs flirted with relegation from the Premier League relegation.
Romero missed the end of the campaign due to a knee injury, though he regained fitness in time for the World Cup.
In all, the centre-back has made 124 appearances for the club over five seasons, scoring 11 goals. He has been sent off four times.
Now, ‘Cuti’ is set to embark on a new chapter in Spain under the management of Simeone, another icon of Argentine football.
Romero will face the challenge of adapting quickly to Spanish football and to ‘Cholo’s’ demands, whilst Atlético have finally secured the signing of a player they had been courting for years.
Other World Cup stars on move: Molina, Rulli, Barco and Almada
Romero is not the only one of Argentina’s World Cup stars to move this summer.
AS Roma completed the signing of the Albiceleste’s 2022 World Cup winning right-back Nahuel Molina from Spanish side Atletico Madrid, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old, who also featured in last month's World Cup final when Argentina lost their crown to Spain, cost Roma a reported 17 million euros (US$20 million).
The 65-times capped defender has also won two Copa Américas in 2021 and 2024 and made 249 appearances and scored 19 goals in all competitions in Europe while playing for Udinese and Atletico Madrid, Roma said.
Molina could make his debut when Roma, who are back in the Champions League after a seven year hiatus, play Fiorentina in their Serie A opener on August 24.
Elsewhere, Manchester City signed Argentina international goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli from Marseille on a two-year deal on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old will serve as City's number-two goalkeeper behind Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma.
"This is an amazing opportunity for me and one I had to grasp," said Rulli, who returns for a second spell at City having spent the 2016/17 season at the Etihad without making a first team appearance.
"When the chance to join Manchester City comes along you have to go for it. Everyone knows what an impressive club this is,” said the keeper.
"City's success over a long time has been impressive. Everyone I have spoken to about City said I had to join them because they are a club with incredibly high standards. "My job now is to train hard, get to know the players and staff and do everything I can to reach my best level."
Rulli has won eight caps for Argentina and was in the squad that won the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América and reached last month's World Cup final in which they lost to Spain.
He previously played for European clubs including Real Sociedad, Villarreal, Montpellier and Ajax.
He famously scored a penalty in Villarreal's 2021 Europa League final victory over Manchester United, before denying opposite number David de Gea to claim the trophy 11-10 in the shootout.
Having been fined 10 million euros for failing to meet UEFA break-even targets, Marseille have to sell players this summer to balance its books. The side’s fifth-place finish in Ligue 1 during the 2025-2026 season also means the club will not participate in the lucrative Champions League.
On Tuesday, Marseille announced the departure of another Argentine player, defender Facundo Medina, to Bayer Leverkusen after just one season with the club.
Marseille had previously parted ways with some of its highest earners, such as English forward Mason Greenwood, who left for Fenerbahce, and Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who headed to Spanish side Deportivo La Coruña.
Also moving on from French football is Valentín Barco, who became Chelsea's seventh signing of the transfer window last Sunday after joining from sister club Strasbourg on a seven-year deal.
Barco is the second player to join the Blues from the Ligue 1 club this window after Emmanuel Emegha and it is the 13th deal between the two clubs, who share an ownership group, since the start of last season.
The 22-year-old was part of the Argentina squad that reached the World Cup final and was involved in an angry exchange with Jude Bellingham for his exuberant celebrations in front of England players during the semi-final.
Capable of operating at both left-back and in midfield, Barco had a brief spell in the Premier League previously with Brighton three seasons ago.
He moved to Strasbourg initially on loan from the Seagulls in 2024, but signed permanently a year later having helped the club to qualify for the Conference League.
Barco's arrival continues a busy summer in the transfer market for Chelsea as they look to remodel under new boss Xabi Alonso.
Attacking midfielder Thiago Almada will play for River Plate next season, following an agreement between the Argentine club and Atlético Madrid regarding the player’s transfer.
“Atlético Madrid and River Plate have reached an agreement for the transfer of Thiago Almada to the Buenos Aires-based club,” Atlético Madrid announced in a statement on Saturday.
Atlético did not specify the transfer fee, but according to the Spanish press, the deal is reported to be worth around 20 million euros (US$23 million).
– TIMES/AFP
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