KEY POINTS

  • Atalanta has a  $71 million asking price for defender Cristiano Romero
  • Manchester United has long been linked to the player
  • Tottenham and Barcelona are also expected to pursue Romero

Manchester United is not yet done this transfer window as the Red Devils look to sign Atalanta defender Cristian Romero.

Earlier in the summer transfer window, Manchester United has been linked to Cristian Romero as they’ve been looking to improve their backline defense.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already had a productive transfer window as they have finally completed their move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho after a year’s worth of drama.

Calciomercato recently reported that Atalanta will not allow Romero to leave for less than €60 million ($71 million) this summer.

Manchester United are also looking at Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane to help shore up their defensive line.

Other than Manchester United, Barcelona and the Tottenham Hotspurs also want to sign Romero.

For Tottenham, it could be a move that entices Harry Kane to stay with the club and at least delay his desires the club for another season.

In Barcelona’s case, signing Romero could also be another way to encourage Lionel Messi to stay at Camp Nou, despite their current economic struggles that could see them sell Antoine Griezmann this summer.

Romero is currently on loan with Juventus, and Atalanta is expected to pay their obligation of €25 million ($29.5 million) to permanently have him.

Manchester United is completely focusing on their backline now as they already have Sancho and extended Edinson Cavani for another season, so signing Romero will be their priority now.

As a center back, Romero does very well in intercepting the ball and making tackles in the open field.

He is also the No. 1-rated center back in Serie A and in the UEFA Champions League, according to the statistics from WhoScored.com.

If Manchester United wants to knock off Manchester City from repeating as the kings of the English Premier League, they’ll have to hope that Romero completes the puzzle that they’ve been trying to solve since their last league title win back in 2012-13.

Should transfer targets such as Romero, Varane and Declan Rice complete a move to the club this season, they’ll be forming a particularly strong defensive line alongside captain Harry Maguire.

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