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Paul Scholes begs Man Utd to sign £30m 'absolute idiot' and admits 'you might laugh' Cristian Romero is set to leave Tottenham this summer and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has urged his former club to hijack the transfer Paul Scholes believes Manchester United should try to hijack a move for Cristian Romero, whom he described as an 'absolute idiot.' The Argentine, appointed captain only last year after signing a four‑year deal, is expected to leave Tottenham this summer, with Atletico Madrid currently in negotiations over his transfer. Fabrizio Romano reports that the deal between Spurs and Atletico is edging closer, though clubs are still a few million apart on the guaranteed fee and have yet to finalise the bonus structure. Atletico remain determined and are preparing a new offer. Inter Milan, Barcelona and Arsenal have also shown interest, but a sale to Spurs' north London rivals appears highly unlikely. Despite Romero favouring Atleti, Scholes believes United should attempt a late hijack, arguing that adding a top‑level centre‑back alongside Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire would be crucial as they prepare for a demanding season across all competitions. "This is one you might laugh at," Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. "[United should sign] Cristian Romero from Tottenham. I know he's a nutter. I know he's got disciplinary issues. "But I just think he can be a very good centre-half and I think someone like Michael [Carrick] could really calm him down. And you're talking 30 or 40 million quid. This is a fella who's played centre half and won the World Cup. Now, like I said, I know he's got issues, disciplinary issues." Scholes added: "There's a bit of something about him. He's won the Europa League with Spurs, he's won a World Cup, two Copa Americas. There's definitely something about him....and he's cheap, £30-40million. "I think centre-half is probably the biggest [area that needs addressing]. You need to have centre-halves that are reliable for the Premier League. You'd like to have them [fit enough to play] in most games. "Harry Maguire not so much, but Martinez picks up a lot of injuries. They've got the young lad Ayden Heaven, who I think is a really bright prospect, but he's still going to make mistakes. He's young. Centre-half is a position they need to address if they are going to be challenging towards the top end [of the league]." Romero previously came close to leaving Spurs, most notably after Ange Postecoglou's departure. Roberto De Zerbi has since made it clear that he would respect Romero's wish to move on from north London. "At the beginning of my time, in April, I had, I don't know, one million individual meetings!" he 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." FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page De Zerbi added: "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." United have already added three new faces to Michael Carrick's squad - Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow. With the window running until 1 September, there's still time for another defensive signing, and Bologna centre‑back Jhon Lucumi is one of the names in the frame. The Colombia international, who featured at the World Cup, is said to be keen on joining a 'big club' this summer. Bologna want £21.4m (€25m) plus £2.6m (€3m) in bonuses, and United are considering whether to match the asking price. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts. This introductory offer saves £384 compared to the standard price, with every package also providing 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ subscriptions.