Tottenham are set for a major disappointment in their summer transfer plans, as transfer target Isco may sign a new contract with Real Madrid in the upcoming weeks. The playmaker has been one of the primary transfer targets for the club, and it has been rumoured that Mauricio Pochettino has been keen to take advantage of Isco’s unhappiness at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Isco had been one of the regular first-team players at Real Madrid since he joined the club in 2013. However, the situation has changed substantially since the arrival of the Zinedine Zidane as the new manager. The former Malaga man did not feature prominently in the last few months and this has resulted in the player making noises about a switch away from the Spanish capital.
In the last four years at Madrid, Isco has had a hugely successful time winning two Champions League medals and several more trophies. The player has a contract with Madrid only until the summer of 2018, and this only served to intensify the transfer rumours. However, Spanish newspaper, AS claims that Madrid are close to agreeing to a new deal with the playmaker. Isco could potentially extend his stay at Madrid by another five years.
Even though he has featured in 22 league matches this season, only 13 of them have been from the start. Even then, he has contributed six goals and five assists in these matches. They appear to have been a major factor in convincing Zidane that Isco is indeed a player capable of playing alongside the likes of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on a regular basis. The AS report also claims that Isco has agreed to sign a new contract and is ‘very close’ to being completed.
Madrid have regained their lead in the La Liga in the last few weeks. It is not a coincidence that their performances have improved following the re-inclusion of Isco into the team. Isco showed excellent form in the games against Osasuna, Espanyol, and Las Palmas. He has scored two goals and created two in the last nine games of all competitions. During the latest international break, Isco managed to score one of the goals for Spain in the 4-1 win over Israel.
One potential hiccup could be the player being concerned about the inability to complete 90 minutes of action. Isco has managed to finish a game only once in the last nine matches. Tottenham fans though, will be left disappointed with the latest developments.
