Paul Scholes urges Man Utd to hijack £40m Cristian Romero move
Paul Scholes has urged Manchester United to make a late move for Cristian Romero as Atlético Madrid close in on the Tottenham captain. The former United midfielder believes Michael Carrick could get the best out of the Argentina international, despite admitting his disciplinary record would make the transfer a gamble.
Romero appears increasingly likely to leave Tottenham this summer, with Atlético making significant progress in negotiations for the 28-year-old.
TalkSPORT reports that the defender has already agreed personal terms with the Spanish club, while a fee with Spurs is close to being finalised. Napoli had previously agreed a £34million deal but were unable to convince Romero to make the move.
Scholes, however, wants United to intervene before the Argentina international leaves the Premier League.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football, Scholes suggested Romero could be available for somewhere around £30million to £40million and backed Carrick to manage the more unpredictable side of his game.
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Cristian Romero could give Man Utd another experienced option
United are not short of centre-backs on paper, with Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Lisandro Martinez all competing for places.
There are still questions over availability, though. Martinez has only recently returned to individual grass work at Carrington following the injury he suffered during the World Cup final.
Scholes believes that uncertainty leaves room for another proven defender and feels Romero’s experience could be valuable as United prepare to return to the Champions League. He also praised Heaven’s potential but argued the youngster would benefit from playing alongside a more established centre-back.
Romero certainly comes with risk. He was sent off twice in 23 Premier League appearances last season and his aggressive approach has regularly attracted criticism during his time in England.
Yet he is also a World Cup winner with significant Premier League experience.
Whether United share Scholes’ view is another matter. There is currently no indication that they have made an approach, while Atlético’s negotiations are now described as highly advanced.
