Aug 15 (Reuters) - Atletico ⁠Madrid have signed Tottenham Hotspur captain ⁠Cristian Romero until June 2031 after ‌five seasons in north London, the Spanish club said on Saturday.

Financial details were not disclosed. British media ​reported Atletico paid around £34.2 million ($46.27 ⁠million) for the ⁠28-year-old.

Romero bid farewell to Spurs on Friday, saying ⁠he ‌was leaving "with a heart full of memories and enormous pride ⁠for everything we lived and achieved together".

The ​centre back ‌made 156 appearances and scored 13 ⁠goals for ​Spurs across all competitions, initially joining the Premier League club on loan from Atalanta ⁠in 2021 before making the ​move permanent.

Romero drew criticism at the end of last season for travelling to Argentina before ⁠the club's final league match against Everton, with Spurs still fighting to secure their Premier League status.

The Argentina international was a ​member of the squad ⁠that won the 2022 World Cup and ​also featured in the 2026 ‌tournament, including the final.

($1 = ​0.7391 pounds)

(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)