The Tottenham captain has long been tipped for a summer exit from north London, having previously held talks with Inter Milan over a move.

More recently, Romero was linked with a shock switch to Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal, but any chance of this now looks to have ended.

The Argentine defender is now set to join up with compatriot Diego Simeone at Atletico, in a move which will bring to an end his five-year stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

So long, farewell?

Romero joined Spurs on loan from Italian outfit Atalanta in August 2021, which was later made permanent for £43million.

Now, Tottenham are prepared to take a loss on the centre-back, with the club ready to sell for £35m.

Spurs have already signed centre-backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi this summer, with Micky van de Ven in positive talks over a new five-year deal.

This left Romero free to leave the club, despite penning a contract extension through to 2029 last August.

His seemingly imminent exit comes after he drew criticism from fans for his conduct and ill-discipline last season.

Romero was sent off twice in 23 league appearances, as well as receiving ten yellow cards as Spurs narrowly avoided relegation.

The club captain also became embroiled in a storm in May when it was reported that he was to miss Tottenham's crucial final game of the season in favour of a return to his homeland to watch formative club Belgrano.

With Spurs at risk of relegation and Romero getting wind of fan disgruntlement, he later changed his mind and instead was on hand to support his teammates in their quest for survival.