Barcelona Set To Battle With Chelsea And Manchester United For Koke

Barcelona are reportedly ready to fight with Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich to securing the services of Atletico Madrid star Koke this summer.

The 22-year-old midfielder established himself in the Vicente Calderon first-team in the 2012-2013 season and has since become a sensation in La Liga, operating both as a playmaker and in a deeper role.

United have been heavily linked with his services since last summer while Jose Mourinho was impressed by the Spaniard during the recent Champions League semi-final where his side triumphed over the Blues.

And now Catalan based newspaper Sport report that Barcelona are also interested in securing his services – as the club's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta is desperately looking for Xavi's long-term replacement.

Koke has scored six domestic league goals this season having also grabbed 13 assists, making him La Liga's second best contributor just behind Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria.

Nevertheless, Sport believes that luring the midfielder to Barcelona will be difficult, not only for the ferocious competition from the Premier League giants and Bayern but also because Atletico Madrid are unwilling to negotiate a deal below his £49m valuation.

Koke signed a new contract with his club last season, extending his stay until 2018 with his release clause increasing from €24m to €60m (£49m).

Furthermore, the Spaniard, who will feature in the summer's World Cup, recently stopped speculation about a future away from the Vicente Calderon by claiming that he would like to stay with his childhood team forever.

"I may stay here forever. I currently have a long contract with Atletico Madrid and I want to honour it because Atletico is my home. We're forging a strong side, a very nice project and hopefully I will be able to stay here for many years."