Barcelona to battle Atletico Madrid in race to sign La Liga star - Reports

La Liga giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will lock horns off the pitch for the signing of Elche's emerging star Lucas Boye. According to Spanish news outlet Fichajes, the 25-year-old striker has garnered interest from two of the top Spanish sides following his exploits this season.

He's struck seven times and made two assists for Los Franjiverdes in La Liga so far, making him the top-scorer in the squad.

Boye, alone, has accounted for 39% of Elche's goals in the top-flight and has been crucial in terms of staving off the relegation scramble with the side sitting in 16th place right now.

The Argentinian was initially signed on loan from Torino in September 2020, but his performances convinced the Valencian outfit to buy him permanently last summer.

He's already matched his tally from last season in 22 fewer appearances, repaying the club's faith handsomely.

Boye's blistering run of form hasn't gone unnoticed by Elche's domestic rivals, with Barcelona and Atletico especially interested in his services.

Barcelona looking at Boye with Morata transfer in limbo

The Blaugrana are struggling to finalize a move for Juventus striker Alvaro Morata and have identified Boye as another potential target.

The shock retirement of Sergio Aguero due to a heart condition has left them without a good option in that position.

Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong are currently the only two natural strikers in the Barcelona squad but they have struggled for consistency, making them unreliable for the final stretch of their campaign.

Atletico, meanwhile, are arranging a replacement for Luis Suarez, who could be on his way out after his contract expires in June.

The Uruguayan joined Rojiblancos from Barcelona in 2020 after he was deemed surplus to requirements. He led his new side to the La Liga title last season.

However, El Pistolero is currently going through a rough patch in front of goal, with the last of his seven league strikes coming nearly three months ago.

This has brought his Atletico future under the scanner, with exit rumors doing the rounds. And should he indeed depart the Spanish capital, Atletico want to bring Boye to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Any transfer is only likely to happen in the summer, with Barcelona in more urgent need of a striker to lead the line.

But with just a few more days left in the transfer window, and the club struggling to offload Ousmane Dembele, it seems Barca and Atletico will have to battle it out for his services in the summer.