Koke Transfer Release Clause Reportedly Attracts Manchester United and Liverpool

Liverpool and Manchester United are set to tussle for the signature of Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, according to reports.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a sensational start to the La Liga campaign, garnering plenty of interest from abroad.

As reported by Nick Lustig of the Daily Star, an attractive buyout clause could see the Spanish starlet make a high-profile move in the January transfer window:

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Liverpool and United are readying bids to activate Koke's £16m release clause, inserted into his contract, in the upcoming January transfer window.

However according to reports in Spain, Milan have entered the race to sign Atletico's most prized asset and will offer Koke a £3.5m-a-season salary to join the club.

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Koke has been instrumental in Atletico's memorable run of form, which has seen them stay three points behind Barcelona in Spain's domestic division.

The versatile player has scored two goals and provided nine assists in 16 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League, according to WhoScored.com.

Although mainly deployed on the left side of midfield, Koke is more than capable of playing from the right or central positions. He can also operate closer to Diego Costa up top.

The reported price of £16 million would be an absolute steal if United or Liverpool managed to tempt the player away from Madrid.

Koke already has seven senior caps for Spain and was part of the Under-21 side that captured glory at this year's European Championships. He has also won the Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Copa del Rey since making his Atleti debut in 2009.

Koke represents an interesting prospect for both Liverpool and United.

Brendan Rodgers favours ball-playing midfielders who have the technical ability to dribble past opponents, while this quality is something David Moyes' team barely flaunt aside from the club's traditional wingers.

Should Koke move to Old Trafford, the future of Shinji Kagawa would become further disjointed after the Japanese star's inconsistent start to the campaign.

Koke's next outing could come in the Champions League clash away at Zenit St. Petersburg, but with Atletico already confirmed as group winners in Group G, Diego Simeone may choose to rest the player who continues to improve under his leadership.

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