Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Tottenham are closing in on signing Atalanta defender Cristian Romero.

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What's been reported about Romero's future?

Romero only joined Atalanta last September but he could be set to leave the Serie A club shortly.

He has caught the eye of Spurs, who have been linked with him in recent weeks, and they now look set to land their man.

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What did Romano say in his update on Romero?

Taking to Twitter late on Monday evening, Romano confirmed that Tottenham have submitted an eye-catching bid for Romero which is likely to be accepted by his current employers.

Romano said: "Cristian Romero is one step away from Tottenham. Final official bid around €50m now on the table from Spurs - Atalanta are expected to accept soon. NO Barcelona, never been in the race."

How did Romero perform at the Copa America?

Romero only made his Argentina debut at the start of June when they took on Chile in a World Cup qualifying match.

Argentina could only manage a draw in that game but they stepped things up at the Copa America later in the month. The 6 foot 1 centre-back missed the opening game of the tournament with a muscle problem before returning for the next two fixtures. He helped the side keep clean sheets in both of those matches as they secured successive 1-0 wins over Uruguay and Paraguay.

Another fitness issue then kept him out of three straight games but he was thrown back in for the final against Brazil. Once again, Romero delivered a rock-solid performance as Argentina kept Brazil at bay on their way to a 1-0 win.

Despite only playing three times, Romero was named in the Team of the Tournament, highlighting how effective he was when on the pitch.

Is Romero an upgrade on Alderweireld?

Toby Alderweireld ended his six-year association with Tottenham last week when he joined Qatari side Al-Duhail. He needs to be replaced, and Romero looks to be a player who could even be an upgrade on the Belgian international.

At 23, Romero is nine years younger than Alderweireld, so seems to have his best years still to come, and he has shown over the past season that he is a huge talent.

In his first year at Atalanta, he played his part in guiding the side to a third-place finish in Serie A, and he then rounded off his campaign by winning the Copa America with Argentina. 

Romero looks to be on the rise, while Alderweireld appears to be on the decline, so this seems to be an excellent piece of business for the north London club.