Liverpool FC have emerged as the leading contenders for signing the Argentine centre back Cristian Romero from the Serie a giants Atalanta. The Reds are highly interested in getting him to strengthen their back after Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez , Joel matip all got injured last season. Liverpool have also recently signed Ibrahim Konate from RB Leipzig this summer for 40M euros.
Clash between two PL titans to sign the Argentinian defender
Liverpool are leading in the race to sign Cristian Romero despite Manchester United being heavily linked to the Atalanta defender over the past month. Italian media Calciomercato reported that Liverpool FC are more keen on signing the defender than Manchester United despite their recent speculation.
CM claims that Manchester United are interested but they have not taken any serious steps to get him. On the other hand , Liverpool have moved forward to sign the 23 year old and they have followed him for months.
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Cristian Romero has risen to prominence in Serie A over the last few years, earning a move to Juventus after a successful 2018-19 season with Genoa. He has never played for Juventus since then, spending the following season on loan at his old club before a two-year loan at Atalanta.
The South American defender put in some solid performances for his team and was voted the Defender of the season in Serie A. He was also great in the offense as well finding the net three times and also setting up five goals as well in the past season.
The Argentinian centre back made his debut in the World cup qualifiers against Chile on June 3. Romero’s determination and highly focused defending sees him rarely hesitate when the opportunity to win the ball early arises. Robust and comfortable on the ball too, his fine early goal for Argentina against Colombia on June 8 was an example of his aerial strength.
How much will Cristian Romero cost
It is reported that Cristian Romero is valued at around €60 Million. Atalanta are now set to take up the option for €16 Million according to Goal.com. They could cash in on him immediately after he caught the attention of the English giants Manchester United and Liverpool. Atalanta have realised that his market value hit up a big jump recently and so they are keen on selling him to anything above €45 Million. Therefore Atalanta could easily see a profit of more than 30 Million euros coming their way.
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Manchester United have struggled in defense with Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly with form and fitness. With Phil Jones not being a part of Solskjaer’s plans , a new central defender is much wanted. The red devil’s have also been linked with Real Madrid’s defender Raphael Varane who seems to be on Solskjaer’s list ahead of Cristian Romero.However they could face some competition from arch-rivals Liverpool as per Sky sports Italia reports suggest.
Liverpool have a number of centre back options- Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel matip, Ibrahim Konate who have loads of experience. Last season Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams stepped up in the absence of the senior players. It would therefore be interesting to see how Cristian Romero fits in at Liverpool’s setup.
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