What's the story?
Real Madrid are in the market for a midfield passer and are reportedly interested in striking up a deal with Italian champions Juventus over Bosnian Miralem Pjanic. According to EcoDiario, the Blancos are willing to trade one of James Rodriguez and Isco for the 26-year-old.
Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez are gearing up one of their most extravagant summer transfer windows this year. With an ageing squad, they see the need for young blood in the team: ones capable of cementing a starting spot for the next five years.
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Miralem Pjanic only joined Juventus at the start of the season and was seen as the kind of midfielder capable of replacing Paul Pogba – who rejoined Manchester United – but things haven't quite gone to plan.
The former AS Roma star, however, hasn't been able to fill in those big boots and seems like a shadow of himself with the Turin giants. Real Madrid, however, believe he still has the capabilities to regain the kind of form that earned him the move to Juventus in the first place.
With James Rodriguez and Isco seemingly expendable players for Real Madrid, they're willing to bet on one of them being a sufficient enough valuable trade for Pjanic's services. The Colombian and the Spaniard have been linked with a move to the Turin club in previous windows.
The heart of the matter
Zinedine Zidane believes Real Madrid can function adequately without the services of two of Europe's most exciting midfielders in Rodriguez and Isco and is willing to let them go in the summer if it means he can get someone who can attack and defend equally well like Luka Modric.
The Croat is now 32 and in the final years of his playing career. Real Madrid want to move quickly to get a midfielder who can play alongside him for a few years and then eventually replace him as the club's sole deep-lying midfielder.
What's next?
Should Juventus deem one of James Rodriguez and Isco as viable attacking options for the upcoming season, it'll be a tight race this summer. With Premier League interest in both the midfielders, Real Madrid have quite the kerfuffle to deal with.
Sportskeeda's take
It is rare to see clubs – especially of this magnitude – to partake in a deal that only sees players switch sides. But in Pjanic, Rodriguez and Isco, we have three midfielders who are equally valued in the market making it a real possibility should Premier League clubs stay away.
