Italian publications remain rife with speculation over the future of Atalanta defender Cristian Romero, who has been touted with a move to Tottenham Hotspur all summer.
The Serie A outfit are thought to be confident that business can still be done with Spurs this window.
However, if Spurs are to get one of their maintargetsthey will have to fend off interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.
Barca, of course, boast Lionel Messi within their ranks, an international teammate of Romero’s with Argentina.
The five-time Balon D’or winner has reportedly informed the Barcelona hierarchy how he would like Romero to line up alongside him in Barca colours next season, despite the fact the club are currently in a perilous financial situation.
The talk surrounding Barca’s weak economic standing is supported by local Catalan media, with Mundo Deportivo confirming that though the club are keen on Romero, they are under a number of financial constraints.
Lionel Messi wants to see Barcelona sign Cristian Romero (Image: Getty)
Barcelona are in desperate need of reducing their wage bill to abide by La Liga rules, given they are some distance over the maximum figure as it stands.
The violation of the wage ruling means Messi himself currently cannot play for Barca until they sell a number of stars.
Though there are few fears over Messi leaving, his new contract cannot be confirmed until a lot of the current crop of stars are moved on.
Signing Romero in any capacity would only further hinder Barca’s chances of levelling up the wage books.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Cristian Romero is wanted by Tottenham (Image: Getty)
The report claims how Barcelona would only be able to afford a loan deal for Romero, due to having insufficient funds to mount a permanent deal.
In turn, this inevitably creates an advantage for Spurs, who are rumoured to have already offered €45m plus add-ons depending on a number of variables.
This has since been rejected by Atalanta, who are aiming for a deal that would see them pocket €55m including add-ons.
This would go some way to pricing the La Liga giants out of the race for Romero’s signature, while Tottenham are already close to that figure.
Newly-appointed sporting director FabioParatici, formerly of Juventus, is already familiar with Romero, on loan at Atalanta from the Serie A giants.
Paraticiboasts a strong business relationship with a number of Italian outfits from his time in Turin, something that could work to Tottenham’s advantage.