Atletico Madrid have finalized a £34.2m (40m euros) agreement to acquire Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur. The 28-year-old defender is set to become Atletico's fourth signing of the summer, with Spurs retaining a 15% sell-on clause as part of the deal.

Romero, an Argentina international, attracted interest from Arsenal, the Premier League champions, but Tottenham opted against selling their captain to a rival. He departs after five seasons, having made 156 appearances and scoring 13 goals since joining initially on loan from Atalanta in 2021.

Key highlights of Romero's career at Tottenham include:

• Representing Argentina in the 2023 World Cup, missing only one match during their run to the final.
• Captaining the team last season as they narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League.
• Signing permanently from Atalanta for £42.5m, becoming a pivotal figure in their defense.

Romero was scheduled to return to pre-season training with Spurs shortly, having received extra time off following the North American tournament.

This transfer news comes as a setback for Spurs fans, who are also facing the potential loss of Djed Spence to Inter Milan, who are in advanced negotiations for the England full-back at £25.6m (30m euros).

Atletico, having already added midfielders Kang-in Lee and Morten Hjulmand, along with left-back Alejandro Grimaldo, is poised to exceed £100m in summer transfer spending, as head coach Diego Simeone aims to bolster his squad after a fourth-place finish in La Liga last season.