Cristian Romero OPEN to controversial Arsenal transfer and become first Tottenham ace to join fierce rivals in 25 years

CRISTIAN ROMERO wants to sign for Arsenal – but Tottenham have NO intention of selling to their bitter rivals. World Cup finalist Romero, 28, is set to leave Spurs this summer after five seasons in N17. Cristian Romero is on Arsenal’s radar but it appears Spurs would rather have him in the reserves than sell him to their North London rivals Credit: Getty The Spurs captain wants a new challenge after helping Argentina reach the World Cup final Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Arch enemies Arsenal are understood to be interested in the Argentine, along with Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan. But a deal with the Gunners will be totally unpalatable for Spurs. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! A move across North London would be a truly eyebrow-raising transfer and have the hallmarks of Sol Campbell leaving Spurs for Arsenal in 2001. The difference with that switch though was that Campbell was a free agent, meaning Spurs could not prevent the centre-back from crossing into enemy territory. Former England star Campbell was the last player to move directly from Spurs to Arsenal – and he was labelled a “Judas” by fans at White Hart Lane for the move. Nobody has made the switch at all since 2010, when William Gallas controversially went in the opposite direction at the end of his Gunners contract. Romero still has another three years left on his contract meaning Tottenham hold the cards over his future. SunSport has been told by a high-level source at Spurs that they would not entertain the prospect of selling a player to the Gunners. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have also been linked to the Tottenham captain Credit: Getty It appears to rule out what would be the most contentious move of the summer. But Romero is still expected to leave Spurs before the end of the transfer window. Boss Roberto De Zerbi has already signed Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52million as his replacement. Atletico have a long-standing interest, with head coach Diego Simeone a huge fan of his compatriot, and seem a much more likely destination. The Spanish giants tried to sign Romero last summer before then boss Thomas Frank convinced the defender to sign a bumper new contract and made him skipper. Atletico are believed to be readying a fresh bid for £40million-rated Romero, financed by sales of a number of three other players. They include Italian left-back Matteo Ruggeri, who is close to a £17m switch to Aston Villa. The Chelsea Blueprint on YouTube Calling all Chelsea fans - we have a brand new YouTube channel! Romero has told Spurs he wants to explore other avenues Credit: Getty Romero’s fellow Argentine Nahuel Molina is heading to Roma in a deal worth up to £14.5m. While Thiago Almada, another international team-mate of Romero, is expected to join River Plate for £17m. Inter are also very keen on Romero but are believed to still have some way to go to strike an agreement with the player over personal terms. Arsenal are in the market for a new centre-back with William Saliba set for a spell on the sidelines with a back injury. SunSport revealed earlier this summer their interest in free agent John Stones, but the England defender opted to join Inter on a two-year deal. Players who have played for both Tottenham and Arsenal in the past THERE have not been many players in the past who have made the controversial move across North London. Jimmy BrainArsenal to Tottenham1931 George HuntTottenham to Arsenal1937 Freddie CoxTottenham to Arsenal1949 Laurie BrownArsenal to Tottenham1964 David JenkinsArsenal to Tottenham1968 Jimmy RobertsonTottenham to Arsenal1968 Steve WalfordTottenham to Arsenal1977 Willie YoungTottenham to Arsenal1977 Pat JenningsTottenham to Arsenal1977 Pat JenningsArsenal to Tottenham1985 Sol CampbellTottenham to Arsenal2001 Rohan RickettsArsenal to Tottenham2002 William GallasArsenal to Tottenham2010 Comment now