Chelsea are set to enter the race for Atletico Madrid central midfielder Koke in the coming weeks.

This puts them in direct competition with the two sides who are chasing them in the Premier League, Manchester United and Manchester City.

The Old Trafford side thought they had missed out on Koke, with Man City supposedly having met Atletico to discuss his transfer in recent weeks.

However, according to the Daily Star, the race is wide open and Chelsea are back in contention.

The only issue for all three sides is Koke’s price tag at Atletico, with the La Liga champions not willing to see him depart for anything less than £47 million, a staggering fee.

That is not said to be putting Jose Mourinho off, who wants to sign the ultra talented midfielder and pip his title rivals to his signature.

There is no guarantee that Koke will be keen to leave Atletico, with the player having spent his entire career there.

Chelsea and Manchester United are set to miss out on Atletico Madrid star, with Manchester City in pole position to capture the talented central midfielder.

The Etihad Stadium club’s sporting director Txiki Bergiristain, who has remit over transfers for the oil rich club, met Atletico’s equivalent, Jose Luis Caminero and president Enrique Cerezo in Turin this week.

Talks between the two parties were held at the Golden Palace hotel, with Koke, an exceptional midfielder, on the agenda.

City reportedly see Koke as an ideal replacement for Yaya Toure, who has recently hit form again but is coming towards the end of his career at the age of 31.

Both Man Utd and Chelsea have previously lined up moves for Koke, who represented Spain at the World Cup.

However, Manuel Pellegrini has been a fan of the 22 year old for years, and this could benefit them in any possible move.

Koke has a £47 million buy out clause written into his contract.

Our verdict

Koke was integral to Atletico Madrid’s title win last season. While it would be a shame to see them lose yet another key player, he would undoubtedly improve City’s options in midfield, especially with doubts over Toure’s ability to maintain his current level of performance going forward.