Luis Enrique has now decided. And he has told Barcelona's technical commission that to continue the remodelling of the squad for next season, he wants Koke.
The coach is operating on the basis that Xavi Hernandez will be playing in Qatar next season, although it's not confirmed if he will still be at Barcelona for a few months before he leaves for the Arab state. The club has looked at various players, of different profiles and prices, but Enrique has settled on one, with no doubts: Jorge Resurreccion Merodio, "Koke".
Koke would be the perfect type of footballer to play in the style that Enrique wants to utilise at Barcelona. The 23-year-old has reached a tentative but important level of maturity. The Atletico Madrid star is noted for his physical abilities, excellent vision of play, and strong technical skills, which he continues to hone. These three characteristics are what Enrique wants in the centre of the pitch.
The technical commission now knows the priorities of the Asturian coach, although they are conscious of the difficulties which may arise. Firstly, no player can sign for Barcelona until 2016, thanks to the FIFA transfer ban. Koke has noted this himself, while secondly Atletico's president, Enrique Cerezo, has deemed the player "untransferrable".
Bringing in Koke to take Xavi's role is the dream of Enrique and Josep Bartomeu and his executives will work with great care to do so. Barcelona were interested in signing him last summer and a few months ago Atletico reacted by giving the star a new contract and pay rise, to reflect his status as a first-team star. The player has spoken of his desire to stay at Atletico, continuing to progress in Diego Simeone's ambitious project, and said that later he may even switch country if he leaves. Like Fernando Torres and David De Gea, from Atletico to the Premier League or elsewhere.
All this means that signing Koke will not be easy for Barcelona. However, Luis Enrique has asked for the directors to put their efforts into procuring the midfielder. The price is clear; Koke has a €60million release fee clause. Atletico have proved themselves excellent negotiators in the market, bringing in millions. Barcelona know the numbers in the Koke deal will be no different.
Enrique and the technical commission do not want the Koke deal to drag on. Barcelona need to have someone who can take Xavi's place lined up and the player must be able to help Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in the midfield. They cannot leave filling that role to the vagaries of the market.
The list of possible alternatives to Koke is large. The club is committed to enhancing their midfield, with the majority of any transfer budget to be spent on the replacement for Xavi.