Tottenham have agreed a €40 million (£34m) deal to sell Cristian Romero to Inter, according to reports in Argentina.
Romero has spent five seasons with Tottenham and was made captain by Thomas Frank a year ago following Son Heung-min’s departure.
The 28-year-old has privately expressed his desire to leave Spurs this summer but despite attracting intertest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, a move is yet to materialise.
According to ESPN Argentina, Romero is now a step closer as Spurs have reached a verbal agreement with Serie A side Inter over a €40m (£34m) deal for the Argentina international.
Get personalised football updates every day
Sign up to our daily football newsletter and choose your team to get the latest news, rumours and more direct to your inbox every morning.
However, the report adds Romero is yet to reach an agreement over personal terms with Inter.
This week, John Stones joined Inter on a free transfer having left Manchester City at the end of last season.
Spurs, meanwhile, have already strengthened Roberto De Zerbi’s defensive options this summer with the signings of Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi.
Speaking earlier this week, De Zerbi said he would respect Romero’s desire to leave Spurs.
‘At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings,’ De Zerbi said.
‘And [the players] told me what was their idea. I said: ‘Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave’. If you don’t help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me!
‘But Romero with me was unbelievable. Top… in his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It’s not true.
‘After the semi-final [against England] we text a message, but I never called him to convince him to stay. I respected what he told me. Like for Vicario, like for every player.
‘Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.