Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement worth £34.2m (40m euros) to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham, ending the defender's five-year spell at the club.

The 28-year-old centre-back becomes Atletico's fourth summer acquisition, with Tottenham securing a 15 percent sell-on clause as part of the arrangement.

Romero attracted interest from Premier League champions Arsenal in recent days, but Tottenham were unwilling to sell their captain to their north London rivals. He departs having made 156 appearances for Spurs — scoring 13 goals — since joining on loan from Atalanta in 2021 before completing a permanent £42.5m transfer.

World Cup run before Madrid move

The Argentina international was a cornerstone of his national side's campaign at the World Cup in North America this summer, missing only one match as Argentina reached the final. He had been scheduled to return to Tottenham's pre-season training in the coming week after being granted extended rest following the tournament.

Romero captained Tottenham throughout last season, a campaign the club will want to forget — they narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League.

Atletico's summer spending accelerates

Should the deal be completed, Atletico will have spent over £100m this summer. Diego Simeone's side have already brought in midfielders Kang-in Lee and Morten Hjulmand, as well as left-back Alejandro Grimaldo.

Simeone is intent on rebuilding after Atletico finished fourth in La Liga last season, with Villarreal pipping them to third place.

The news adds to a difficult summer for Spurs supporters, who are also set to see Djed Spence depart for Inter Milan — advanced talks are underway for the England full-back in a deal worth £25.6m (30m euros).