Thomas Frank Remark Opens Door to Barcelona, Real Madrid Transfer Battle

Public criticism of the club’s January activity have raised serious questions about one player.

Thomas Frank could not provide a definitive answer. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has confessed he does not know whether captain Cristian Romero will remain with the club beyond this season.

Romero has not attempted to hide his frustrations towards Tottenham, publicly describing the decision not to bolster Frank’s injury-hit squad as “disgraceful” just moments after the transfer window closed.

Well-connected Argentinian journalist Gastón Edul recently claimed Romero has already decided to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, and Frank admitted he could not offer a concrete response to the speculation.

“That is a question I have no idea about,” Frank said when asked if he expected Romero to remain beyond the summer. “Right now he is the captain, he has a long-term contract and we signed a new contract with him.”

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La Liga Giants Sense Potential Opportunity

Romero has talked up a La Liga transfer. | Naomi Baker/UEFA/Getty Images

Romero remains widely viewed as an elite defender and his unhappiness has long piqued the interest of Europe’s elite.

Having already experienced life in Serie A and the Premier League, Romero has openly admitted he “needs” to play in La Liga, making that claim in April 2025 to the very same Gastón Edul who recently claimed Romero has already settled on leaving.

“La Liga is a league I would love to play in and need to play in,” he said, four months before committing to a new four-year contract with Spurs.

Links to Atlético Madrid, led by fellow Argentine Diego Simeone, have been most prominent but both Barcelona and Real Madrid are never far behind, with the two Clásico rivals both expected to give great importance to signing a new centre back in the summer.

Having seen Marc Guéhi and Jérémy Jacquet removed from the market and Dayot Upamecano, another target, inch closer to a new contract with Bayern Munich, the two Spanish giants may need to expand their search for reinforcements and a player of Romero’s pedigree is likely to appeal.

The fact Romero’s contract runs until 2029 gives Spurs the freedom to command a significant fee for the 27-year-old, but the bubbling tensions behind the scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could weaken their negotiating stance after another disappointing campaign which sees Frank’s side currently occupy 14th in the Premier League table.

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