Atletico Madrid are certain to have a fight on their hand this winter, as they
struggle to stave off a concerted raid from Premier League duo Chelsea and
Manchester City for their star midfielder Koke, according to reports.
A clairvoyant Atletico side moved
quickly in June of this year to tie down the Spanish international to a 5 year
contract which includes a £48 million buyout clause, but even that won’t be
enough to deter the financial superpowers at the disposal of Manuel Pellegrini
and Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho has already poached
three supremely talented Atletico stars in Felipe Luis, Diego Costa and Thibaut
Courtois this summer, giving him enough reason to return for more in the
winter. Pellegrini has struggled to find a foothold in the Champions League and
someone like Koke, who has thrived in Europe could be just the spark that his
stuttering side requires.
£48 million is a huge
sum to pay for a 22 year old, but in today’s day and age of deliver or die, no
sum is too big and no player is out of reach, especially when the likes of
Barcelona and Real Madrid are also pursuing the future of Spanish international
football.
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