Tottenham have clearly not given up on Real Madrid midfielder Isco, who continues to be linked with a move to White Hart Lane (Daily Mirror). Isco has been at Madrid since 2013, but the 24-year-old is widely expected to leave the club after falling down the pecking order. Manager Zinedine Zidane has not preferred using the Spanish midfielder much in his first-team selection. Even though Isco has been quite decent in terms of statistics, the lack of regular gametime is forcing the midfielder to consider his future at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is actually the best time for the player to make such a move considering that his contract runs out in the summer of 2018. Quoted by the Mirror, Isco said:
“I’m calm. What worries me is to have minutes. A player’s career is small.
“I’m happy here and would stay many more years. From now until the end of the season, we will make a decision. It is my future at stake.”
Spurs have shown interest in Isco for almost 6 months. Just when it seemed that they would be able to get the player in January, Isco ruled out any potential move until the summer. The summer actually represents a great time to sign a player like Isco, as he will have only 12 months left on his contract. Spurs can persuade Real Madrid, with whom they have a great relationship following the transfers of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, to lower their valuation of €30 million. The player is likely to be available for around €20 million due to the significantly less time left on his contract.
Only a few weeks ago, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague ruled out the possibility of Isco moving to White Hart Lane. In the past, the lack of Champions League would have been a major reason behind Spurs failing to sign players of such calibre. After having finished third in the league last season, the club reached the group stages of the Champions League in the current campaign. Even though Pochettino has been unable to get Spurs into the knockout stages of the Champions League, it is still a commendable improvement from the club considering that they have not spent an awful lot of money.
Spurs remain on course for yet another campaign in the Champions League, even after the 2-0 loss against Liverpool a few weeks ago. Even though the club are 10 points behind table leaders Chelsea, Pochettino is yet to concede defeat in the title race. After a 3-0 win over Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Tottenham will be fighting in the latter stages of the competition hoping to win the trophy for a ninth time in the club’s history. This time around, the club may actually be capable of pulling off a major transfer in the form of Isco.
