Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke has revealed that he flattered with rumoured interest from Manchester United and Barcelona.
The Spain international has long been linked with the Red Devils, while Barcelona were also believed to be interested in signing him. Earlier today, we reported that United were favourite in acquiring the services of the talented midfielder and were set to lock horns with the La Liga giants in activating Koke’s €60m release clause.
However, the 22-year-old has put the recent speculations surrounding his future to bed and admitted that he is happy with the Champions League finalist.
“It’s flattering for big clubs to be interested in you, but I’m really happy here. The way I see it I am an Atlético player, the World Cup is coming up and I’m focused on the here and now, not the future,” Koke told Marca
“I’m happy here: this is my home, I’ve been at Atlético since a very young age and I feel very comfortable here. I have a long-term contract,” the midfielder stressed.
Atletico had a brilliant campaign during the 2013-14 season, which has seen several players being linked with a move away from the club. They won the La Liga and lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Their star striker Diego Costa has strongly been linked with a move to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Juanfran has been on Arsenal’s radar in recent times, apart from Koke attracting interest from United and Barcelona.
However, Koke says Atletico CEO Angel Gil Marin is keen on retaining the club’s star players beyond the summer transfer window.
“We had a sensational season and big clubs are in for our players. But like [club CEO] Miguel Ángel [Gil Marín] said, there is no need to sell anyone, so it’s down to which players want to stay on. They are going to try to keep the core of the team together to build an exciting future,” Koke concluded.
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