Spanish giants, FC Barcelona, are hopeful they can see off interest from Manchester City and Chelsea in order to sign Koke from Spanish rivals, Atletico Madrid.
The La Liga champions managed to hold onto their star-midfielder over the Summer, despite the English duo’s interest, but now they face a new challenge as Barca look set to ramp up their interest.
According to reports, Barcelona officials wanted to sign Koke last Summer, but when the opportunity to sign Luis Suarez arose, they couldn’t turn that down and the bulk of their finances went on signing the Uruguayan from Liverpool.
Officials at the Nou Camp are aware that current-star, Xavi, is set to leave the club in the near-future, and they have their hearts set on signing Koke as his replacement.
The 22-year-old was brilliant last season for Diego Simeone’s men and was key to their La Liga success and their route to the Champions League final.
Despite signing Cesc Fabregas from Barca in the Summer, it’s believed Chelsea would also be interested in Koke if the player was put up for sale, but they’d face competition from title-rivals, Manchester City, who are working hard on finding a Yaya Toure replacement.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
