Paul Scholes has urged Manchester United to hijack Atletico Madrid’s move for Cristian Romero, despite branding him as an ‘idiot’.
Tottenham captain Romero looks set to leave north London this summer, with LaLiga giants Atletico closing in on his signature.
talkSPORT understands a fee is close to being agreed to bring the Argentina star to the Spanish capital.
Romero has already agreed personal terms with Atletico, who have stolen a march on Napoli after they previously agreed a £34million deal to sign him.
However, they failed to get player buy-in, leaving the door open for Atletico.
While their proposed fee for Romero is yet to be revealed, it’s understood Spurs could make a loss on the £43m they paid Atalanta to sign him in 2021.
Last-minute raid for Romero?
Despite Romero’s next destination appearing all but confirmed, Manchester United legend Scholes has urged his old club to make a late play for the centre-back.
The Red Devils are keen to bolster their options this summer, with Champions League football returning to Old Trafford this season.
This means Michael Carrick will need a bigger squad to rotate, and Scholes has surprisingly called for Romero to be a quality addition for United if they are to be competitive.
That’s despite the Argentine drawing criticism for his poor disciplinary record, having been sent off twice in 23 league appearances for Tottenham last term as they narrowly avoided relegation.
Discussing potential transfer targets for United on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: “This is one you might laugh at – Cristian Romero from Tottenham.
“I know he’s a nutter. I know he’s got disciplinary issues.
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“But I just think he can be a very good centre-half and I think someone like Michael (Carrick) could really calm him down.
“And you’re talking £30million or £40million. This is a fella who’s played centre half and won the World Cup.
“Now, like I said, I know he’s got issues, disciplinary issues.”
Romero has divided opinion during his Premier League career, with Spurs fans turning on him at the back end of last season.
The 2022 World Cup winner became embroiled in a storm in May when it was reported that he was to miss Tottenham’s crucial final game of the campaign in favour of a return to Argentina to watch first club Belgrano, before later having a change of heart.
His conduct has even led talkSPORT’s Dean Saunders to label him one of the worst captains in Premier League history, but Scholes believes his fiery streak can be channelled positively.
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He continued: “I actually think he’ll go to Atletico Madrid, but, you know, talk about ‘mavericks’?
“And I know he’s a centre half, but do you know what I mean? He’s got that bit of an idiot about him.
“It’s not a very nice thing to say, you know, a bit like [Eric] Cantona did. Obviously, Cantona was a centre forward. It’s a little bit different, more creative.
“But I just think he could become a bit of a cult hero type.
On his disciplinary record, Scholes added: “Funnily enough, that’s what I like about him. There’s a bit of maverick about a centre-half. Do you know what I mean?”
‘Desperate for centre halves’
At first glance, United aren’t short of options at centre-back, which includes Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Ayden Heaven and Romero’s Argentina teammate Lisandro Martinez.
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However, centre-back duo Martinez and Maguire have both been prone to injuries in the past, and Scholes insisted Romero could provide experience alongside United’s youthful other options, including the 19-year-old Heaven.
On the Red Devils’ defensive picture, he rounded off: “I think they’re desperate for centre halves, the centre halves aren’t good enough.
“I actually quite like the young kid – Ayden Heaven.
“He’s still making little mistakes. He’s young, but I think he could be very good, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him with Romero actually.
“Look Martinez – the thing with two centre-halves at Man United, especially in that position, you need to rely on them to be fit all the time. You can’t rely on these two.
“Harry’s [Maguire] picked up his injuries. Martinez, he gets something all the time, doesn’t he?”
