Barca willing to cough up 60 million for Koke

Posted Saturday, May 31, 2014 by Marca.com

With the Barça bigwigs well aware that they have a rebuilding job on their hands this summer, there is one name circled in red at the Camp Nou: that of Atlético's young midfielder Koke, who is considered more than a prospect but rather a sure-fire star of the future. The Catalan club believe he would be the perfect man to step into the shoes of Xavi, who has served as the fulcrum of the best Barcelona side of all time over the last five to ten years.

The 'Azulgranas' aren't messing around with their interest and are willing to cough up the whopping €60 million required to trigger the youngster's release clause. This would make the 22-year-old the most expensive Spanish player ever, surpassing the €58m Chelsea paid Liverpool for Fernando Torres.

Barça have already been in touch with the Atlético higher-ups to express their steadfast desire to sign Koke this summer. However, the response from the Calderón has been equally categorical: the starlet isn't for sale, so anyone interested will have to pull their finger out to meet the €60m asking price (plus tax) required to prise the midfielder away, as stipulated in his contract.