Tottenham could be ready to offload influential centre-back Cristian Romero this summer, following reports they have set a deadline for the Real Madrid target to agree a new contract in north London.

The Argentina international’s current deal still has two years left to run, but Spurs have been keen to tie Romero down to a new one amid concrete interest from the Spanish giants in the 26-year-old.

Romero has battled through injury issues for the past two seasons, with the current campaign proving particularly tough for the rugged defender, having featured just 12 times in the Premier League.

His latest outing came in Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Fulham that left Tottenham sitting 14th in the Premier League table and also led to Romero also reconsidering his future in the capital.

Real’s interest dates back a couple of years, with Los Blancos hugely impressed by his performances for Argentina as they won the 2022 World Cup, where he was named among the substitutes for the Team of the Tournament.

And now Give Me Sport reports that Romero is not convinced to sign an extension at Hotspur Way, with influential figures behind the scenes poised to give the defender an ultimatum to agree a deal before the summer window opens or they will look to cash in.

Real’s interest stems from them looking to bring down the age of their defensive line, while David Alaba and Eder Militao both have long-term injury issues.

However, if Tottenham do opt to sell, they are likely to demand a fee in the region of £60million (€71m / $78m) for Romero – given his standing as a vice-captain and the fact that his current contract runs until the summer of 2027.

Tottenham fans growing restless with Romero

On the face of it, losing a fully fit and firing Romero would be a body blow for Tottenham and whoever the manager of the club is beyond the summer.

However, the former Atalanta star has not performed at anywhere near the level he does for his country at club level for some time, and there is a growing feeling among many Spurs fans that Daniel Levy should try and cash in while he can.

Indeed, there have already been reports of replacements being lined up and it was no big surprise to see an offer rebuffed for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi on deadine day in the winter window.

The England man plays on the left side at Palace but is naturally right-footed and would form one of the quickest central defensive partnerships in Europe alongside Micky van de Van if he did sign – with a fee likely to be in the region of around £70m.

Guehi also has a decent injury record, something that cannot be said for many of Tottenham’s defenders over the past two seasons under Ange Postecoglou.

It’s now just a matter of seeing what happens over the coming months and whether Romero is convinced that a club that appears to be trending downwards can actually get back to challenging for the top four again.