Atletico Madrid have opened talks over signing Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, who is expected to leave Spurs this summer despite signing a four-year contract last August. The potential move matters because Romero is a key defensive figure and his departure would follow a difficult season in which Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation.

The 28-year-old Argentina international is also attracting interest from Inter Milan, but Atletico manager Diego Simeone has reportedly pursued him for some time. Romero played all seven of Argentina’s matches en route to last month’s World Cup final defeat by Spain, while he missed the end of Tottenham’s season with a knee injury and was sent off twice as the club finished 17th; Micky van de Ven is close to agreeing a new five-year Spurs deal.