According to reports, Real Madrid have ‘decided’ to turn to Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero, who is preferred over a ‘ruled out’ Liverpool man.

Romerolet Spurs down at the weekend as he was sent off for a rash challenge in the 2-0 loss against Manchester United, and this is not the first time this has happened.

The Tottenhamcaptain is renowned for these moments of madness, but he has proven that he can be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League when he’s performing at his peak.

And recent reports have suggested that he could secure a big-money move to a Spanish giant in the summer, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid linked with the centre-back.

Real Madrid are known to be in the market for a centre-back as they need a long-term replacement for Antonio Rudiger and/or David Alaba.

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Alvaro Arbeloa’s side have been linked with several potential targets, including Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Arsenal’s William Saliba.

However, Saliba is currently unattainable as he recently penned a new long-term contract with Arsenal, while Konate’s poor form for Liverpool this season appears to have put Real Madrid off.

Konate is one of Real Madrid’s cheap options as he is due to become a free agent at the end of this season, but a new report from Spanish outlet Defensa Centralclaims he has been ‘ruled out’ by club chiefs.

Instead, Romero is said to be a ‘strong’ target for Real Madrid, who have ‘made a decision’ to try to sign him.

However, this will not be easy as the report claims Spurs have set an asking price of around 100 million euros (￡86m) for Romero.

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Therefore, it is suggested that a deal for Romero is dependent on two conditions, which are the centre-back ‘forcing a move’ and the availability of Liverpool-linked Nico Schlotterbeck, who has been in fine form for Borussia Dortmund this season.

The report adds:

‘It’s true that Real Madrid are very keen on Cuauhtémoc Romero, but signing him could cost a fortune. He’s under contract until 2029 , and Tottenham won’t let the Argentine go easily. They’ll demand a price that could exceed €100 million.

‘It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid will be willing to pay such a high price for Cuti Romero. He will turn 28 in April, so he might already be too old for that kind of investment. They would prefer Nico Schlotterbeck, who is two years younger.’

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