Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly won the race to sign Real Madrid playmaker Isco, beating Chelsea and Juventus to the Spaniard.
According to The Sun, City are closing in on the £30m signing of the former Malaga man as they continue with their strategy of building a talented young squad which fits the ideals and demands of Guardiola.
Isco has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter at the Bernabeu under Zinedine Zidane, although he has made 28 appearances in all competitions so far this season and has contributed six goals and six assists.
In turn, it’s unlikely that the French tactician will want to lose the 24-year-old, but ultimately if he can’t promise him more playing time then perhaps it’s no surprise that he risks seeing him move on.
To further complicate matters for the La Liga giants, Isco has just one year left on his contract this summer and so given that he’s unsettled and with a new contract being signed unlikely, Madrid may be forced to cash in rather than lose him for nothing next year.
As for City though, the report reiterates the desire of the Premier League outfit to lower the average age of the squad, and it seems as though that will be the theme for Guardiola again this summer.
Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane and John Stones have all come in to try and build a bright future for the club, but Guardiola certainly needs to do more in key positions before he can be content that this is his team and he can fully implement his ideas.
Isco has proven his quality time and time again in the Spanish capital, and it seems City are ready to force the issue while a chance to work with Guardiola may be enough for him to snub Chelsea and Juve and join the Manchester giants.