'I like that': £25m Tottenham man admits a giant Euro club want to sign him

emerson royal tottenham everton — Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has confirmed the interest of La Liga champions Atletico Madrid with the Brazilian facing an uncertain future in the Premier League, speaking to Cadena Ser.

Last weekend, as Antonio Conte’s slide sliced through Newcastle United like a newly-sharpened Samurai sword through room temperature Lurpack, Emerson marked the occasion with his first goal for the London giants.

And his celebration said more than words ever could. It was a smile capable of lighting up the whole of London.

But whether a bundled tap-in against a sorry Newcastle side is the start of something special – or merely a false dawn – remains to be seen.

Emerson’s debut season on English soil certainly hasn’t gone to plan, his lack of quality in the final third and suspect positioning marking him out as something of a ‘weak link’ in Conte’s XI.

READ MORE: Fulham’s XI if they kept their top stars

And reports linking Spurs with the likes of Isaiah Jones, Djed Spence and Wilfried Singo don’t bode well for Emerson’s hopes of earning a second season alongside the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Hugo Lloris.

Especially with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid holding talks to bring a premature end to Emerson’s Tottenham career.

Is Emerson Royal leaving Tottenham already?

“Yes, it has reached me that Atletico have been interested,” admits the Brazilian, who shone in La Liga on loan at Real Betis before joining Spurs for £25 million.

MORE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STORIES

“Now, I’m in a good moment at Tottenham. I don’t know what will happen in the future. I like that the teams are watching me.

Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“It’s very different (in England). The Premier League is much more physical. The training sessions are also different because the games require you to be at 100 per cent. You train much more at Tottenham than at a team like Barca or Betis.

“In Barcelona, we did more work on positioning, technique and with the ball. But, in the Premier League, you need to work much more physically. And, at the moment, I’m adapting very well.”

Atletico have installed Emerson as their number one target to replace Kieran Trippier on the right-hand side of Simeone’s defence. According to Marca, talks are already underway.