Atletico Madrid eye cut-price deal for second Tottenham Hotspur star

It is no secret that Atletico Madrid want to sign a new midfielder in the summer, and they have set their sights on the Premier League if their bid to strengthen Diego Simeone’s squad in that position.

Atleti wanted to sign a defensive midfielder last summer to compete alongside Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo De Paul and club captain Koke Resurreccion, but after spending big on the likes of Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher and Alexander Sorloth, they did not have the funds available to address the position. But in 2025, they are hoping to finally get it done.

And according to The Times, one of their targets is Rodrigo Bentancur. The Uruguayan international is considered an important player at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, but with his current contract expiring at the end of next season, there are fears that he could leave this summer.

Spurs are in talks with Bentancur over a new deal, but if an agreement is not reached before the summer transfer window opens, it presents an opportunity for Atleti to go for a cut-price deal, knowing that the Premier League side may need to cash in to avoid losing him on a free next summer.

Bentancur is not the only Spurs player that Atleti are interested in, with fellow South American Cristian Romero also featuring high on their list of central defender target. The World Cup winner recently revealed that he wants to play in La Liga during his career, and that wish could be granted sooner rather than later.

It remains to be seen whether Atletico Madrid are able to get a double deal done with Spurs, but if so, it would be two outstanding pieces of business. There is no doubt that Romero and Bentancur would significant improve their squad as a whole, and both players would be strong candidates to be regular starters too.