Barca not giving up on Koke

Catalan daily Sport is reporting that Spanish giants Barcelona remain hot on the trail of Atletico Madrid star Koke.

The Catalans were looking at the Spain international and Ivan Rakitic as they wanted to add a high-profile midfielder in the summer, and they only opted for the Croatian footballer because Sevilla were ready to negotiate his sale.

However, Barcelona officials still have plans to lure Koke to Camp Nou, although that is not going to be an easy task.

The 22-year-old recently signed a new deal with los Colchoneros that saw his release clause increased to €60 million, and chances are that Atletico will not even consider offers lower than the amount.

Barcelona could, nonetheless, decide to match the exit clause, but they will first have to see their transfer ban lifted.

The Catalans would still need to persuade Koke to leave Atletico, so it is clear they have a very difficult task ahead of them.