Romero left the Stadium of Light pitch in tears on Sunday, no doubt aware he may not play for Spurs again and could face a race to make the World Cup.
Telegraph Sport reported last month that Romero is one of several players who could leave Tottenham this summer as part of a planned overhaul of the squad – whether or not the club are relegated to the Championship.
The Argentine’s father claimed Romero has a “very high” release clause in the contract he signed last summer, although Tottenham’s bargaining power could be dictated by which division the club are in.
Tottenham will be forced into a fire sale of some of their star players, of which captain Romero is the highest earner, if they go down, while they will need to sell players to help fund a squad overhaul if they remain in the Premier League.