Arsenal and Atletico Madrid Compete For Cristian Romero

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, August 9, 2026

Arsenal defender Cristian Romero is attracting interest from Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan, with Atlético preparing a £40 million offer while Arsenal strengthen their defense anticipating his departure. Meanwhile, Tottenham have agreed to sell winger Manor Solomon to West Ham for an initial £5 million, after limited appearances since his 2023 arrival.

Arsenal and Atlético Madrid are both pursuing the transfer of defender Cristian Romero, although his move remains uncertain amid ongoing negotiations. Romero, 28, is currently under contract and has three years remaining, which complicates any potential transfer this summer. Despite this, sources suggest the Argentine defender is expected to leave Arsenal during the current window.

Arsenal manager Roberto De Zerbi has already taken steps to reinforce the defense, signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52 million and acquiring Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth. These moves appear to anticipate Romero’s exit. Atlético Madrid’s head coach Diego Simeone, a known admirer of Romero, attempted to sign the player last summer. At that time, Brighton manager Thomas Frank persuaded Romero to extend his contract and appointed him captain, delaying any transfer.

Atlético Madrid is reportedly preparing a renewed offer for Romero, valued at around £40 million. The Spanish club’s bid would be supported by the sales of several players, including Italian defender Matteo Ruggeri, who is close to a £17 million transfer to Aston Villa. Additionally, Argentine right-back Nahuel Molina is set to join Roma in a deal worth up to £14.5 million, while midfielder Thiago Almada is expected to move to River Plate for approximately £17 million.

Inter Milan has also expressed interest in Romero, but discussions over personal terms with the player have not yet resulted in an agreement.

At Arsenal, there is increased urgency to strengthen the central defense due to a long-term injury to French defender William Saliba. The club showed interest in free agent John Stones earlier in the summer; however, Stones opted to join Inter Milan instead.

In a separate transfer involving another Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to sell winger Manor Solomon to West Ham United. The deal, reported to be worth £5 million upfront with an additional £2 million in potential add-ons, will see Solomon sign an initial three-year contract with the Hammers. Solomon joined Tottenham on a free transfer in 2023 from Shakhtar Donetsk, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but has made only six competitive appearances for Spurs. He did not feature in Tottenham’s recent 1-1 friendly draw against Getafe ahead of the transfer announcement.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.