What’s the story?
Spanish superstar Isco’s indecision with regards to his future at Real Madrid has put Pep Guardiola on an alert. According to the Spanish news agency AS, Manchester City have been long-term admirers of the playmaker and have come close to signing him in the past and with his contract extension at the Santiago Bernabeu stalling, it might prove to be the best time to pry the player away from Spain.
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The former Malaga man, who joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, has found playing time hard to come by in the current season after being one of the main players for the club since joining. The player has started just 10 games across all competitions in the current season and with the competition for a starting spot getting hotter with every passing transfer window, it has forced Isco to rethink about his long terms plans at the club.
The player has been linked with numerous clubs in the past and Manchester City have been keen admirers of his abilities for some time now. In 2012, the club had a verbal agreement with his representatives to pay his buy-out clause only for the player to have cold feet and extend his stay with Malaga for another year and subsequently part ways with his representatives. However, the interest from Manchester City did not die down and the club again tried to bring him to Manchester, only for Florentino Perez to swoop in and take him away from City’s noses.
The heart of the matter
After 3 successful seasons at the club, all is not going according to plan for the 24-year-old as he is being regarded as an outcast amongst the plethora of talent that exists at Real Madrid.
However, it goes without saying that he has not his abilities as a footballer and that has ensured that several managers, including former Barcelona and current manager Pep Guardiola, remains keen on signing the player. Pep has been on the lookout to add more attacking quality to his attack and the player’s current dilemma seems to have pushed the manager into making a solid approach for the player.
What next?
However, it is largely believed that Isco does not want to severe ties with Zinedine Zidane and co before the end of the current season and Pep will probably have to arrange for an in-principal move to fend off interest from other parties.
Sportskeeda’s take
The Pep Guardiola reign at the Etihad is only in its first few months and the manager already looks keen on making the side an attacking unit that could tear teams apart at will. With Isco, the manager will acquire the services a player, who is not just versatile but is also equally effective across the positions he can be deployed in.
The finances certainly do not seem to be an issue, especially with City’s resources. What could be an area of concern is the player’s unwillingness to make a move to a mega club after finding it hard to find playing time at his current home.
