Diego Simeone has gone public with Atletico Madrid’s pursuit of Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.
The LaLiga giants, who began their Club World Cup campaign with a 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, are on the market to bolster their central defensive options this summer.
Speaking after the game, Simeone made it clear as to who his first-choice target it.
As reported by Sport Witness, in response to being asked about signing Romero, the Atletico boss - whilst smiling - said: “Do I want Cuti Romero? Obviously!
“He’s a great player.”
Romero currently has two years left on his contract with Spurs and recently fuelled speculation over a move to Atletico after admitting he would one day like to play in Spain.
Asked by Argentine journalist Gastón Edul on his TV show 'Los Edu' about his future, Romero said: "I’d love to play La Liga. I’d love to, honestly.
"It depends on a lot of things. We’ll see after the [English] championship is over. The truth is, I haven’t spoken to my agent yet, but I’m open to anything.
“My goal is always to grow and go to new places to continue developing."
However, after guiding Tottenham to Europa League success by beating Manchester United in last month’s final in Bilbao, Romero took to social media and dropped a huge hint regarding his future.
He wrote: “We achieved what we wanted this season as a group, and that's what matters.
“And….My name is part of the history of this beautiful club
“I want to thank you all for the love and support every day despite everything, but I have no doubt that staying together led us to success.
“We must continue, this is the path.”
