Manchester United are set to go head-to-head with Manchester City in the transfer market over the summer, according to reports in Spain.
Last month we beat Pep Guardiola’s side to the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal and Jose Mourinho is determined to beat our rivals for a second time this year once the summer transfer window opens.
Spanish outlet Don Balon are reporting that the two Manchester clubs are going to battle it out for Real Madrid’s Isco.
The Spaniard’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu has come into question once again having only started 16 of Real Madrid’s 26 La Liga games this season and only completed 90 minutes on six occasions. That has been enough time for him to score five goals and record four assists though, thanks to his excellent ability.
Isco has started six of Real Madrid’s seven Champions League games to date, but not completed a full game on any occasion. He was replaced with the score at 1-1 against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month as Zinedine Zidane’s side went on to win 3-1 with Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio coming on late on to make an impact.
The 25-year-old only recent penned a new deal in the Spanish capital which makes you wonder how much his transfer fee would be should either or both Manchester United and Manchester City make an offer over the summer.
With Real Madrid a staggering 14 points behind rivals Barcelona in La Liga and having played a game more, many feel that Zidane has to win the Champions League for a third successive season in order to keep his job. Otherwise, big changes could be made over the summer and Isco is seen as one who could be used as a scapegoat to blame for this season’s underwhelming campaign.
The report in Don Balon states that Jose Mourinho is keen to beat Pep Guardiola to the signature of the Real Madrid star. With Isco’s ability to play in a number of different attacking positions it comes as no surprise the boss would be interested in him. He’s already used Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in more than one attacking position alone this season.
With Jose favouring the 4-3-3 formation since the signing of Alexis Sanchez last month, Isco could be used in either a centre midfield position or on either wing next season should we be successful in acquiring him.
