Arsenal 'pushing hard' to sign £42m Tottenham star after Chelsea approach

Arsenal have made an approach to Tottenham (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Tottenham defender Cristian Romero ahead of transfer frontrunners Atletico Madrid , according to reports.

Romero, who started Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain , has made it clear he wants to leave Spurs this summer after five years at the club.

The 28-year-old has been a mainstay in the Tottenham team since his £42.5m move from Atalanta in 2022, making 123 appearances in the Premier League alone.

Romero is keen to leave after experiencing back-to-back relegation battles at Tottenham and has reportedly approved a move to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

But the Argentine has also attracted interest from Tottenham’s London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea and Serie A side AC Milan .

Premier League champions Arsenal are keen to sign a new centre-back after losing William Saliba to a worrying injury and have this week been ‘pushing hard’ for Romero, according to reports in Italy .

But club-to-club relations between Arsenal and Tottenham are understandably tense so Atletico are still believed to be ‘leading the transfer race’.

Cristian Romero is set to leave Tottenham (Picture: Reuters)

Saliba has established himself as one of the best defenders in the world in recent years and helped Arsenal win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final last season .

But Arsenal will have to make do without the Frenchman for an ‘extended period’ after he aggravated a back injury during the World Cup .

‘William Saliba has returned to us from World Cup duty, where he played an integral role in France reaching the semi-finals of the competition,’ Arsenal said in a statement.

Arsenal want to sign injury cover for William Saliba (Picture: Getty)

‘Subsequent specialist reviews on William’s return to London this week have confirmed that he has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation.

‘Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme.

‘William’s rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.