What’s the story?
Barcelona have reportedly offered Real Madrid playmaker Isco £17.2m (€20 m) to run down his contract before joining them for free at the Camp Nou. According to reports from Spanish publication RAC1, Barcelona are extremely keen on signing the talented playmaker but they know that a deal with their direct rivals Real Madrid will be tough to pull off.
However, with Isco’s contract running out in 2018, the Catalan giants are happy to wait a year to land their man. According to the report, they are willing to offer the sum to Isco over a 5-year period if and when he joins them in 2018.
The transfer is looking more and more possible by the minute especially after a FIFA agent confirmed to television program ‘El Chiringuito’ that Barcelona have already spoken to Isco:
“Barça have already spoken with Isco. A club director has spoken with the player himself. He has always wanted to play for Barça, and now he has the chance to do so”, revealed Jota Jordi.
Also read: Reports: Lionel Messi wants Barcelona to sign Real Madrid star Isco
In case you didn’t know
The future of Isco has been subject to intense speculation and the rumour of him joining Barcelona has refused to die down. The 24-year-old playmaker is reportedly on the lookout for regular playing time and after falling behind James Rodriguez and even Marco Asensio in the pecking order, the Spaniard is set to be considering his options and is reportedly ready to leave Real Madrid.
The heart of the matter
With Andres Iniesta showing signs of slowing dow, Barcelona are on the lookout for a long-term replacement. Isco is high on the list of names who is capable of replacing the Barcelona legend and Bartomeu is reportedly ready to sanction huge money to make it happen.
Andres Iniesta himself was the latest Barcelona player to laud Isco’s talent. Speaking ahead of Spain’s match against Israel on Friday, Iniesta said:
"Isco? I think he is a fantastic footballer, a massive talent. He has been doing things very well now for years and is at one of the best teams. Just like here in the national team, he is very important. He is still very young and has many years to continue improving.”
What’s next?
With Andres Iniesta yet to sign a new contract, there have been a number of talented playmakers linked with the Catalan giants in the recent weeks. Isco, on the other hand, is repeatedly growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of opportunities and it will be interesting to see whether he decides to sign a new contract.
A number of Premier League teams have also been linked with the 24-year-old and Real Madrid might just end up selling him this transfer window, instead of risking losing him for free to Barcelona in 2018.
Also read: 5 players who can replace Andres Iniesta at Barcelona
Author’s take
With a direct transfer involving Barcelona and Real Madrid pretty much out of the question, the only way Barcelona can sign Isco is if the Spaniard accepts this reported offer and runs down his contract.
The talented playmaker is a perfect Barcelona type of player and if the transfer does indeed go through, Isco might well end his career as a Barcelona legend.
