Manchester United and Manchester City look to have learned their fate in the pursuit of a transfer raid on Real Madrid, according to latest reports in Spain.
It looks as though Real Madrid midfielder Isco has decided on his future and is set to snub United in favour of a move to City, or so claims a report from Don Balon.
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The 25-year-old attacker has shone for Los Blancos in recent times and is widely seen as one of the finest creative players in Europe right now, despite not always being a regular starter under Zinedine Zidane.
It may now be that Premier League clubs have chosen this as their moment to pounce, with City looking on paper like the best fit for Isco in terms of playing style.
City are also well ahead of United in this season’s title race so for a variety of reasons look the more tempting option for most big players at the moment.
The Spain international would be an ideal long-term replacement for David Silva, who remains a key player for Pep Guardiola but who is ageing and cannot go on at this high level forever.
This is a big blow for United, however, who could really do with signing top quality creative players to give them more spark in the final third and help them close the gap on their rivals next season.
If this trend continues, City will soon be attracting most of Europe’s best talent and building a squad few will have a hope of catching.