Tottenham Faces Uncertain Future as Inter Milan Eyes Cristian Romero

Inter Milan have set their sights on Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, testing the limits of Spurs’ summer rebuild with a move that would be as complicated on the balance sheet as it would be on the pitch.

Sky in Italy report that the Serie A champions want a new central defender and have placed Romero high on their list, alongside John Stones, now a free agent after leaving Manchester City and attracting interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. Inter like Romero. They know he is under contract at Spurs until 2029. They also know prising him out of north London will not be cheap.

Inside Tottenham, there is a growing expectation that Romero could be allowed to leave if a suitably heavy offer lands on the table. That is a significant shift for a player who has been a pillar of the side for five seasons, making 124 appearances, scoring 12 goals and collecting four red cards in the Premier League. He is, in many ways, the face of the current team: aggressive, emotional, occasionally reckless, often decisive.

His standing with supporters took a hit at the end of last season. The 28-year-old missed the run-in with a knee injury and drew criticism when he appeared set to watch his boyhood club Belgrano face River Plate in the Argentina Primera Division Apertura final rather than attend Tottenham’s crucial final-day trip to Everton. The defender ultimately did show up for that game, where Spurs secured Premier League survival, but the episode lingered as a symbol of a strained relationship at a turbulent time for the club.

Inter, sensing an opportunity, are pushing for defensive reinforcements on two fronts. Alongside the centre-back search, they want a full-back before the window closes. Djed Spence, Romero’s team-mate at Spurs, has been on their radar, though that pursuit has cooled in recent weeks. He remains on their list, joined by Monaco’s Vanderson and Feyenoord’s Givairo Read, as the Italian champions weigh their options.

De Zerbi wants firepower to match spending spree

While Inter circle Romero, Roberto De Zerbi is trying to drag Tottenham forward at speed. The new head coach has been backed aggressively: Spurs have already spent £237m on six signings, smashing their transfer record with the £100m capture of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle. Mateus Fernandes has arrived for £85m, Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m, with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka joining on free transfers.

For many clubs, that would be a complete overhaul. De Zerbi sees only the start.

“The target now is to complete the attacking positions,” he said. “We want the first target, the first level, because anyway we are already important players, but I think to start the new project we need another couple of important players, for sure.”

He did not dress it up. Tottenham’s rebuild, even after a quarter of a billion pounds, is unfinished.

“It’s not finished yet, our transfer market window,” he added. “We have to finish, we have to bring another couple of, maybe more, maybe not less, but a couple of players.”

Two attackers. Top level. That is the demand. And that is before Spurs even know how the Romero situation will play out, or how many other pieces may move before the window shuts.

Juventus circle Vicario as keeper carousel spins

In goal, another potential exit is being lined up from Italy. Juventus are once again looking at Guglielmo Vicario as a fallback option should they fail to land their top target, Emi Martinez. Work has already started on a possible deal for Parma’s Zion Suzuki, with a gap in valuation still to be bridged, though not one currently seen as insurmountable.

Juve intend to keep Vicario in the conversation, probing for a deal that suits them financially. Spurs, for their part, are operating as if the 27-year-old’s future lies elsewhere. He has not travelled on the club’s pre-season tour, officially due to a minor injury.

“Vicario is injured, not a big injury, but he needs to stay one week in London,” De Zerbi explained at his press conference.

The wording was calm. The context less so. Tottenham are already bedding in Dubravka and reshaping the squad. If Juventus firm up their interest and Spurs are prepared to sell, the goalkeeping department could look very different by the start of the season.

Bergvall at a crossroads

Not every issue is about money. Some are about desire. Lucas Bergvall is one of them.

The Sweden midfielder, highly rated and still only a teenager, is understood to be determined to leave this summer. Nottingham Forest remain in the race, while Newcastle have held talks over the financial framework of a deal. Inside Spurs, the message from some is clear: the club do not want to sell. Yet there has been no major push to persuade Bergvall to stay, no charm offensive to change his mind.

De Zerbi has been blunt about the principle guiding his decisions.

He wants only players who are happy to be at Tottenham.

Asked about Bergvall’s situation and whether his inclusion in the pre-season squad hinted at a longer-term role, De Zerbi said: “I have not spoken with Lucas yet. I will in the next days and we will make the best decision for the club, for Lucas, for me, for every one of us. Without problems, Lucas is a big, big talent.

“There will be a big competition to play because at the end, I think we will be two players for each position. If he wants to stay, I will be happy. Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with Johan Lange, with Vinai. It’s not my business after the decision to leave.”

The message is unmistakable: commit, or move on. In a squad being reshaped this aggressively, hesitation carries a cost.

Kudus closing in, Kulusevski caution

Not all of De Zerbi’s updates concerned departures. There was finally some good news on Mohammed Kudus, out since early January with a muscle problem and badly missed.

“Kudus is very close,” De Zerbi said. “I think when we come back to London he will be available to start working with us. It’s a great thing for us. Kudus is another important player.”

The winger’s return would inject pace, direct running and goals into a side that still looked blunt too often last season. For a coach demanding high tempo and vertical attacking play, Kudus is a key piece.

De Zerbi also revisited the situation with Vicario and turned to Dejan Kulusevski, whose long absence has been another quiet drain on Spurs’ attacking edge.

“Vicario is injured, not a big injury, but he needs to stay one week in London,” he reiterated, before addressing Kulusevski’s delicate comeback.

“Kulusevski, we have to see in the next couple of weeks. He’s another important player. After one season, one complete season, without a game, we have to analyse better and better, don’t take risks, first of all for him and then for us.”

Patience there is non-negotiable. Tottenham cannot afford to lose another attacking talent to a rushed return.

A club on the brink of a different era

Put it all together and the picture is stark. Inter pushing for the captain. Juventus hovering around the goalkeeper. A gifted teenager weighing up the exit door. A manager demanding two elite forwards on top of six new signings. Key attackers working their way back from long layoffs.

This is not a gentle tweak of a squad. It is a reset, bordering on a revolution.

If Inter manage to tempt Spurs into selling Romero, the fault lines will widen again. Lose Vicario as well, and the spine changes shape entirely. Keep Bergvall and convince him to buy into De Zerbi’s project, and Tottenham retain one of Europe’s more intriguing young midfielders. Land the attacking “first targets”, and the mood shifts from survival to ambition.

The money has already gone down. The next few weeks will decide whether this Tottenham rebuild becomes a coherent new era or just another expensive, restless shuffle of the deck.