With the summer transfer window already in their sights, Premier League giants Manchester City are thought to be in the final stages of wrapping up a move for Real Madrid’s want-away playmaker Isco.
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The 24-year-old Isco has found it difficult to get playing time for Los Blancos this season, having made only 11 league starts out of a possible 23 so far, despite making a good account of himself whenever he plays for the club, scoring five goals and notching five assists.
His record in the Champions League is far more dismal, with him having appeared only once in a Real shirt in Europe’s elite competition this campaign, in the Spanish club’s group stage fixture away against Sporting Portugal.
The former Malaga man is understandably frustrated at his current situation at the fabled Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, growing tired of being behind the likes of Germany international Toni Kroos and young Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
With his future at Real Madrid looking dim, it is believed that Isco now wants out of Spain to find pastures anew – a call Manchester City are only too keen to answer. Indeed, according to Spanish daily SPORT, the 2011 FA Cup winners are now in pole position to snap up the midfielder in June, with City’s sporting director Txiki Berigistain already on the move.
City manager Pep Guardiola has been coy regarding his intentions to sign Isco in recent months, insisting “he knows nothing” regarding any plan from his club when it comes to the Spanish star, although the Etihad Stadium gaffer has long been admirer of the player.
With Isco’s current market value thought to be in the ballpark of £30m, City would have no qualms to splash out that amount of cash – or even double that sum – if they are indeed eager to bring the Benalmadena-born midfielder to England.
Of course, whether City will indeed make that move is still far from certain.