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Atletico Madrid rival Arsenal for Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero, Barcelona yet to meet valuation for Rodri - Paper Round
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Published 07/08/2026 at 23:09 GMT+1
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Atletico Madrid have begun negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur over the potential signing of captain Cristian Romero. Romero has long been linked with a move away from North London, though there were recent reports of interest from crosstown rivals Arsenal.
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Arsenal - who are said to be considering a new move for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola - are in need of reinforcements for their upcoming season, particularly in light of an injury to France defender William Saliba.
The Evening Standard reports: ”Atletico Madrid are in talks over a deal for Tottenham captain Cristian Romero after reports of a shock enquiry from rivals Arsenal.
”Romero is widely expected to leave Spurs this summer, and negotiations with Atletico are now said to be under way, though the La Liga club have yet to submit a formal offer.
”Those discussions come after The Athletic sensationally reported on Thursday that Spurs’ north London foes Arsenal had registered their surprise interest in Romero this week.
”The Argentina defender has also attracted interest from reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan during the current transfer window, while he was previously linked with Barcelona.”
Barca fall short of Man City's Rodri demands
Barcelona are currently well short of meeting Manchester City’s valuation for Rodri, although the 30-year-old Ballon d’Or winner has now decided he prefers a move to Catalonia over becoming Real Madrid's newest signing.
City have already lost one senior player this summer after England defender John Stones left on a free transfer at the end of his contract. He has now signed up with Internazionale on a two-year contract.
Ayyoub Bouaddi is a target and a move from Lille is being negotiated, while Elliot Anderson signed from Nottingham Forest for £116 million while on World Cup duty.
On Friday, it was reported that Man City had turned down an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona.
The Sun explains: ”Manchester City have already rejected a bid from Barcelona for Rodri and will demand more than £60 million if he insists on leaving.
”The Catalan giants want to sign the former Ballon d’Or winner, 30, who prefers them over a move to rivals Real Madrid.
”City have already laughed off a very low bid, with reports in Spain suggesting it was in the region of £38m.
”The two clubs are not currently in negotiations and it will take a much bigger fee to tempt the Prem club to part with their World Cup winner – even though he only has 10 months remaining on his contract.”
Arsenal prepare two Brazilian exits
Arsenal could lose two Brazilian forwards in the coming weeks as they look to raise funds.
Both Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus might leave, as Turkish sides look to land Martinelli in the last year of his contract and both Napoli and Milan are keen on Jesus.
Any sale could fund a move to Elias Kaua, the 20-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk forward who has impressed scouts.
The Mirror thinks that fees above £35m each could be generated by selling the pair.
The paper states: ”Arsenal could finally eclipse their record sale with Gabriel Martinelli attracting interest from Turkey. The Gunners' focus recently has been on Bruno Guimaraes and Vinicius Junior, but exits are also in the pipeline.
”Martinelli has entered the final year of his contract with Arsenal, posing the possibility of his exit, over seven years after he joined the club. The 25-year-old has 62 goals in 278 appearances for the club since his £6 million move in 2019, but his time may have come.
”And were a move to come to fruition it could see Martinelli become Arsenal's record sale, with the £35m earned for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's move to Liverpool in 2019 surprisingly still the high-water mark for the club.
”Jesus has become a fringe player at Arsenal, with Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz ahead of him in the pecking order and is attracting interest from Napoli and AC Milan. The 29-year-old's contract expires in June 2027, meaning this window is Arsenal's last realistic chance to earn a decent fee.”
Newcastle look for new signings
After selling Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, and with Bruno Guimaraes set to join Arsenal shortly for a big-money fee, Newcastle are looking to reinforce.
Victor Froholdt, Angelo Stiller and Felix Nmecha would be welcome but may not be realistic targets for the current transfer window.
Luka Sucic of Real Sociedad is in the frame as a more workable solution, but he is expected to be at least one of three new arrivals at St James’ Park.
The i Paper notes: ”Instead of one blockbuster deal, the budget will be divided up on 'at least' three signings. They are actively working on a midfielder – the current policy is to have several 'plates' spinning at the same time but with 'experienced' options lined up – and a full-back.
”The name is yet to emerge. Those linked but discounted include Felix Nmecha, who played for the new Newcastle boss at Al-Hilal. They like Porto’s Victor Froholdt but it’s not a deal they believe can happen this summer. Ditto Germany international Angelo Stiller.
”Croatia midfielder Luka Sucic, who worked with Jaissle previously and plays for Real Sociedad, is an intriguing option. Newcastle wanted to end their overreliance on one player, so having a few capable of ‘ball progression’ and allowing Lewis Miley a more attacking role is the plan.”
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