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According to reports from Goal.com, Serie A side Atalanta are set to permanently sign Juventus centre-back Cristian Romero this summer.
Juventus had decided to send the 23-year-old Argentine international on a two-year loan deal to Atalanta with the option of permanently buying Romero at the end of the second year.
However, after an outstanding season at the Gewiss Stadium, Atalanta have decided to permanently sign Romero from Juventus a year early by paying €16 million this summer.
Based on the aforementioned source, Juventus would pocket upwards of €18 million from Cristian Romero's deal. The Argentinian's loan deal included a €2 million loan fee plus extras and bonuses. However, Juventus are still going to lose close to €8 million on the player. The Old Lady paid €26 million to sign Romero from Genoa in the summer of 2019.
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Juventus set to lose out on highly-rated defender
With Atalanta preparing to exercise their right to permanently buy Cristian Romero this summer, Juventus are set to lose out on one of South America's most highly-rated defenders.
Cristian Romero's brilliant season at Atalanta saw him win Serie A's Best Defender award. Romero's partnership with fellow defenders Berat Djimsiti, Jose Luis Palomino and Rafael Toloi helped Atalanta finish third and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Juventus themselves were in need of a new, young centre-back. Both Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are getting older. They are 36 and 34 years old respectively. Juventus could have used Cristian Romero as their first choice centre-back alongside Matthijs de Ligt for many years to come.
By permanently signing Cristian Romero a year early from Juventus, Atalanta are making sure they don't lose Romero to other European clubs in the transfer window. According to various reports in May, Manchester United were among the clubs interested in signing Romero as a potential long-term partner to Harry Maguire.
Christian Romero's recent good season has caught the eye of Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni. The 23-year-old is currently with Argentina's national side to play a couple of World Cup Qualifiers before competing in the 2021 Copa America. Cristian Romero is set to win his first international cap against Chile with manager Lionel Scaloni confirming his place in the starting XI.
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