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Cristian Romero's move to Atletico Madrid is closer than ever. The club have generated the financial liquidity and the room in their wage budget through three sales in just four days.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", sporting director Mateo Aleman led a swift move to fund the signings, targeting a reinforcement of the defensive line with the Argentine star, who is considered a top priority for the team.
The breakthrough came once Matteo Ruggeri completed his move to Aston Villa and Nahuel Molina joined Roma, with a final agreement also reached for Thiago Almada's transfer to River Plate.
After weeks of negotiations between River Plate and Brazil's Flamengo, the Argentine club settled the deal in their favour for around 20 million euros, allowing Almada to resume his career in his home country. The player was preparing to join the Argentina national team's camp at the "Ciro" training centre next Monday. Instead, he will cut short his holiday in Ibiza and head to Buenos Aires to officially complete his transfer.
Proceeds from the three deals open the door for Romero
This deal adds 20 million euros to Atletico Madrid's coffers. That joins 18 million euros fixed plus 6 million in variables from the sale of Ruggeri, and 19 million euros including 13 million fixed from the Molina deal to Roma.
The club now have the resources to submit their first offer to Tottenham for Cuti Romero, worth 30 million euros. The Argentine centre-back is awaiting the resolution of his move, and there is cautious optimism within Atletico about getting it done.
Aleman's plan is not over: signings are conditional on departures
Despite the progress on the Romero front, Mateo Aleman's plan remains incomplete. The team need further reinforcements to cover the departures of Antoine Griezmann, Thiago Almada and Nico Gonzalez, and so far the club have settled for the Kang-in Lee deal alone.
Any new moves hinge on the principle of "a player out, a player in". Nico Gonzalez's move is tied to another player leaving first, while signing an additional striker requires the departure of at least two players.
Candidates for the exit include Jose Maria Gimenez, Thomas Lemar and Carlos Martin, alongside the expected proceeds from selling academy players. Names such as Giano Monserrati, Julio Diaz, Costis and Murcio have already gone. Until these files are resolved, the two remaining deals stay on hold.