Cristian Romero has completed a transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Atlético Madrid, the two clubs have confirmed.
Sources told ESPN that Spurs will receive €35 million plus plus €5m in variables from Atlético for the centre-back. He has signed a five-year contract with his new club.
Romero announced his departure from Spurs with an Instagram post on Friday where he admitted to not always being "perfect" in north London but insisted the club will always hold a place in his heart.
The Argentina international spent five years in north London after initially joining on loan from Atalanta in 2021. In all, he made 156 appearances at the club and scored 13 goals. He was also collected six red cards.
Romero helped Spurs qualify for the Champions League before he starred as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar.
After relations soured with Antonio Conte, he built up a strong rapport with Ange Postecoglou and, during an injury-hit 2024-25 campaign for Spurs where pressure mounted on his head coach, Romero fired frequent thinly veiled digs at the board over a perceived lack of ambition.
However, in Tottenham's time of need, Romero showed his ability with a string of outstanding displays to inspire the north London club to European success in Bilbao.
Wild celebrations followed, with an estimated 200,000 fans on the streets of Tottenham for an open-top bid parade but Postecoglou was sacked weeks later and Romero waited for successor Thomas Frank to be announced before he paid tribute to his old boss for his achievements "despite the obstacles that will always exist."
It set the tone for a chaotic 2025-26 season where despite Romero being named permanent captain, the Argentine struggled.
Romero served four different suspension and was critical of Spurs hierarchy several times before a knee injury in April curtailed his season with the club in the relegation zone.
A final nail in the coffin for many supporters was Romero's actions in the final week of the campaign after he was allowed to fly to Argentina to continue his rehabilitation.
It sparked a backlash from fans and even though Romero got a flight back to be present to watch the 1-0 win over Everton which secured Premier League survival, new boss Roberto De Zerbi gave the 28-year-old the green light to move on and he will finally work under compatriot Diego Simeone at Atlético after years of links to the LaLiga club.
Spurs have already signed two centre-backs this summer in Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Information from PA contributed to this story.