Rumour: Barcelona eye up move for Manchester United transfer target Koke

Jorge Resurreccion alias 'Koke' of Club Atletico de Madrid looks on during the La Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Valencia CF

Barcelona have been linked with a move to hijack Manchester United’s move for Koke, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Catalan giants are keen on a £30 million move to bring Atletico Madrid’s Champions League finalist to the Nou Camp.

Koke, one of a number of midfield players to be linked with a move to United as they look to overhaul their struggling side, established himself as one of Europe’s top midfield talents this season as Atletico came so close to completing a league and European double.

The Spaniard played 36 times in La Liga, scoring six times, and provided 13 assists. No Atletico player created more domestically than Koke, who laid on 67 chances for his teammates, while he also featured in all 13 of Diego Simeone’s side’s games in the run to the Champions League final.

His form inevitably drew interest from across Europe, meaning that Simeone now faces a battle to hold onto his star man in the face of offers from Europe’s top clubs.

Believed to have a buyout clause of £48 million, Koke has been targeted by new Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as the long term heir to Xavi in the midfield, having already gained glowing references from his Spain teammate earlier in the season.

Barcelona are facing a busy window of transfers, with the prospect of a transfer ban at the conclusion of the summer looming.