Although Elche was mentioned among the clubs interested in Álvaro Cortés, the 21-year-old Spanish defender has officially joined Antwerp from FC Barcelona on a four-season contract. According to TeleElx, other La Liga clubs and several foreign teams were also interested in his profile, but Antwerp ultimately secured his signing. Cortés has been capped three times for the Spain U20 national team. His current Transfermarkt market value is €4.00m.