Just when it looked like the door had shut, it may have quietly opened again, at the other end of Madrid.
Atletico Madrid spent weeks trying to land a strong defensive leader.
They pushed hard, held talks, and were hopeful.
But earlier, Transfer News Live reported that the club had finally walked away from the chase.
The asking price was too high and Tottenham Hotspur were not willing to budge.
That seemed like the end of the story and the player will remain with the Spurs. However, there is another twist in this tale.
Across the city, Real Madrid had been watching.
After a painful loss to PSG in the Club World Cup, concerns about their defence have only grown.
Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio were exposed by the PSG forwards.
They pressed high and hard and the Real Madrid defenders struggled to cope with such relentless pressure.
Their backline looked realll shaky. The fans noticed it and so did the board.
Rudiger could be on the way out of Real Madrid as Al-Nassr are eyeing a move for the German international.
Now, Real Madrid are ready to act. Reports from Fichajes say the club has lined up a bold new target.
The player ticks all the right boxes that Xabi Alonso wants.
He is a winner at both club and international level.
He is not afraid of big matches, and his leadership has impressed scouts in Spain.
Sources say Los Blancos are prepared to offer €80 million to test Tottenham’s resolve.
It would take a huge fee to bring Cristian Romero to the Bernabeu, but Real Madrid see him as the right man to take charge of their defence.
With Atletico out of the race and Real Madrid now stepping in, the story has taken a sharp twist.
Spurs may soon face a much tougher decision than they expected. This decision could shake up their summer transfer plans and also Real Madrid’s.
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