Atletico Madrid have been busy this summer.
Manager Diego Simeone, always eager to add experience and bite to his backline, had one defender firmly on his radar.
After a disastrous Club World Cup campaign, Diego Simeone knows he has to make some changes.
Otherwise, as Transfer News Live revealed earlier, his replacement as the manager is waiting.
The Spanish side spent weeks pushing for a deal and the discussions dragged on.
Offers came in from Atletico Madrid. Yet none of them got the green light.
Tottenham Hotspur stood firm. The Premier League club had no plans to lose a player so important to their setup.
Even as interest from La Liga heated up, Spurs kept repeating their message.
Unless the price was right, he was going nowhere.
The defender, for his part, seemed open to the move.
After four years in north London, he was ready for something fresh.
He had done his part at the club, injuries had held him back last season, but he still played a huge role in their Europa League win.
In the final, under the pressure of a roaring Bilbao crowd, he stood out.
That display reminded everyone why he remains one of the toughest centre-backs in Europe.
But Atletico have finally had enough. According to AS, they have now walked away from the chase.
They will neither bid nor wait anymore for Cristian Romero. They will look elsewhere.
Spurs may now push harder to extend his contract.
Romero still has two years left, but both sides know this story is far from over.
The summer is long, and if the right offer arrives, Tottenham may yet have a decision to make.
There is no doubt that Thomas Frank, the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, sees Cristian Romero as a key a part of his back line.
Otherwise, the Spurs would have accepted the offer of Atletico Madrid.
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