Cristian Romero has copied Argentina team-mate and Chelsea ace Enzo Fernandez by casting uncertainty over his club future, despite expressing his “respect and affection” for Tottenham. Following the 3-2 Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid, the Spurs captain was questioned about his future beyond the summer.

In the mixed zone post-match, Spanish journalists grilled Romero about his future after his return to the squad. The questioning follows the defender previously being linked with Atletico. And Romero stated: “The truth is that I’m focused on the situation we’re in. I have a lot of respect and affection for the club and I want to finish the season in the best way possible. We’ll see later but the most important thing now is to recover energy.”

Last August, the 27-year-old penned a new four-year deal with the Europa League victors and was also named Tottenham captain following Son Heung-min’s exit.

He is set to represent Argentina at the World Cup where Lionel Scaloni’s team will aim to retain their title in North America. Atletico Madrid showed interest in Romero last summer but were unable to fund a transfer.

During his press conference on Tuesday, Diego Simeone expressed his admiration for the centre-back, saying: “I speak from a point of view as an Argentina fan. I admire his personality, his character, his defensive work and his football ability on the ball.

“As a fan of Argentina, I have seen him play more games for the national team than I have for Spurs, but I’m a big fan of him, for sure.”

Romero is presently on nine bookings and would be forced to serve a two-match ban if he accumulated 10 before the home encounter with Brighton on April 18.