Manchester City: Isco weighing up move from Real Madrid
The Real Madrid midfielder is beginning to seriously consider a summer exit from the Bernabéu, and is open to a switch to Manchester City.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to take Isco to the Premier League club, and the Real Madrid midfielder is open to the idea of linking up with the Catalan at the Etihad Stadium.
Isco reduced to bit-part Real Madrid role under Solari
In recent days, an intermediary working on City's behalf contacted Isco's camp to make known the English champions' interest in the Spain international, who is currently enduring his lowest ebb at the Bernabéu since moving from Málaga in 2013. Despite Santiago Solari this week insisting Isco is a player he "loves", the Andalusian has tumbled down the pecking order under the new Madrid boss.
It's one thing for your coach to like you as a footballer; whether or not you fit their style of play is quite another. That the latter is a consideration that far outweighs the former is evidenced by the fact that, since Solari took over from Julen Lopetegui at the end of October, Isco has featured for just 314 minutes out of a possible 1,080: less than a third of Madrid's total game time.
As well as struggling for regular football recently, Isco has also been involved in a confrontation with the Madrid fans and seen his relationship with key dressing-room figures deteriorate. Against this backdrop, the 26-year-old is beginning to seriously consider the option of an end-of-season move to City, where he is confident that Guardiola would get him back to his best.
Isco also wary of effect of potential Hazard signing
Eden Hazard's potential arrival at the Bernabéu, with the Belgian strongly tipped to swap Chelsea for Madrid, is another factor encouraging Isco to move on. Having had to settle for a secondary role this term, the situation would only be likely to get worse were Hazard to be added to the squad. Isco wants to feel important again and, if that is no longer possible at the European champions, then he feels that City may be where he can make that happen.
