Cristian Romero says it would be a ‘dream’ to join Juventus’ and play in the Champions League.
The Genoa centre back has been closely linked with a move to Turin in the summer and explained his motivations in a lengthy interview.
“I’ve always wanted to become a professional football player and I’ve made it happen,” Romero told Corriere dello Sport.
“Now I dream of playing in the Champions League for one of the four most important clubs in the world: Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United.
“After that, I want to be part of the Argentine national team, even if I know it’s difficult because there’s Otamendi, one of the best in the world.
“Have Juve already secured me? I don’t know… I don’t deal with the market and my first thought is Genoa.
“There’s still so many matches remaining and I want to keep playing like I am. After that, I’ll talk to the directors and my agent.
“In Argentina I always played in a back four, but I haven’t faced any difficulties in a three. Honestly, I have no preferences: I just adapt, being on the field is enough.
“Renewal of my contract? I’m happy with my renewal, which shows the club have great confidence in me. Now it’s up to me to confirm my quality on the field.
“Renewal aside, I’ve been treated well since my first day here: they wanted me, have looked after me and shown me so much affection.
“My debut against Juventus? I felt very strong emotion: in my mind a thousand things began running through my mind and I was really happy. It was beautiful.”
“Ronaldo? So many people have asked me this question but I have a quiet character and, when I play, I don’t think about who I have in front of me.
“Ronaldo‘s one of the best in the world, Dybala is also very good and Juventus is a great team, but I’m only focused on giving my best.
“Belotti is the one who has bothered me the most: he moves a lot and is strong physically.
“Genoa-Juventus on March 17? It would be very nice to score a goal at Juventus. We hope to be in the game from the start and succeed.
“I’m used to living with the rumours about my future because when I was at Belgrano, it was said that Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Genoa were following me.
“After that, I confess, it affected me because I started to think about things that were great for a lad of 18-19 years…
“I won’t repeat the mistake I made in the past: now I’m only thinking about Genoa and doing well on the pitch. We’ll see about the rest.
“I think I’ve grown a lot compared to my first game against Juve. I’ve played a lot of games since then, I have more belief in myself and I don’t think I’ll be distracted by whether I go or I don’t go to Juventus.
“I’m here, at Genoa. I want to give everything I possibly can for my teammates. There’s a long way until the summer and I’m not thinking about what will happen.”
[translation from Football-Italia]
