Erik Lamela admits 'desire' to return one day to River Plate but remains committed to Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur forward Erik Lamela could one day return to boyhood club River Plate but for now is solely focused on life at White Hart Lane.

The north London side have been busy in recent weeks tying members of their squad down to new long-term deals, with Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Christian Eriksen, Harry Winks, Tom Carroll, Eric Dier and Dele Alli all signing new contracts since the start of September.

The club are unlikely to stop there with reports suggesting Jan Vertonghen and Lamela are among those currently in talks to renew their deals. Lamela is currently with the Argentina squad ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Peru but spoke to La Pagina Millonaria about his time at River, the club he joined as a seven-year-old.

Like his fellow Argentines Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, the 24-year-old has visions of one day returning to the club where it all started for him. But that day would appear to be a long way off for now.

"One always has the desire to always comeback but I am aware that I am 24 and I am fine where I am," he said. "It is a bit difficult to go back now, I still have many years of my contract at Tottenham and in my head I only think of what is coming at Tottenham."

Lamela was a regular starter for River as a teenager but his rise in his homeland inevitably attracted the attention of Barcelona. In an interview with FourFourTwo in 2013, Lamela's father Jose revealed an offer from the Catalan giants was turned down, with the Spurs forward still convinced it was the right call.

"I remember the day I made my debut, we won, it was an unforgettable day," Lamela said. When asked if he made the right decision turning down Barcelona, he said: "Obviously, yes, I decided to stay at River because I wanted to play in the first-team and I could fulfil that at River."