Argentina's Julian Alvarez has encouraged international teammate Cristian Romero to join him at La Liga club Atletico Madrid.
Romero currently plies his trade with Tottenham Hotspur where he has made 122 appearances across all competitions since joining from Juventus in August 2021.
Injuries have reduced the central defender to only 24 appearances across three different competitions this season, including 18 outings for a Spurs side who are languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table in what has been a bitterly disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
The 27-year-old is currently focused on helping Spurs attempt to salvage their season by winning the Europa League - which would secure 2025-26 Champions League qualification - with Ange Postecoglou's side currently leading their semi-final tie with Bodo/Glimt 3-1 from the first leg.
However, speculation over Romero's long-term future at Tottenham has surfaced in recent months, with both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid believed to be interested in his services.
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Romero open to making La Liga switch
Romero, who is considered a key player at Spurs when fit, recently stated that he would "love" to test himself at a La Liga club in the future, but he is yet to speak with his agent over a possible transfer.
"I've yet to play in La Liga. I'd love to be there because it's the one top league I haven't played in yet," the defender told Argentine journalists Esteban Edul and Gaston Edul in an interview last month.
"I haven't spoken with my agent yet, but I'm open to anything. In my mind, it's always about growing and looking for new places to keep improving, but there are still a few months left before we talk about that."
In response to those comments, Argentine compatriot Alvarez has spoken about the possibility of playing alongside Romero at club level and reuniting with him at Atletico.
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Alvarez urges Romero to join 'Atletico family'
"Hopefully Cuti Romero comes - he would help us a lot," Alvarez told Diario AS. "Atletico Madrid is a family. It's more similar to Argentina than the Premier League."
Alvarez swapped the Premier League for La Liga last summer when he joined Atletico from Manchester City for a reported £82m and the forward has excelled for the Spanish side, scoring a team-high 27 goals in 51 games this season.
The 25-year-old is one of six Argentinian players in Atletico's senior squad along with Juan Musso, Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone and Angel Correa, while the club's manager Diego Simeone is also from the South American nation.
If Atletico wish to step up their interest in Romero, they would allegedly be required to meet Tottenham's €70m (£60m) asking price for the defender, who has two years remaining on his contract.
Oliver Thomas
