Isco tweet suggests he's leaving Real Madrid to Italy

Cameron Smith

Updated: 13 Jul 2021 10:51 BST
3 min read

Why Isco’s time at Real Madrid is finally up — © ProShots

Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco looks set to end his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu after a torrid few years on the sidelines.

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Tottenham and Arsenal are reportedly interested in the player, with both clubs keen to add to their creative options in midfield. Arsenal want another option alongside Emile Smith-Rowe and having missed out on Emiliano Buendia and Martin Odegaard, they view Isco as a potential option.

As for Tottenham, having failed to successfully replace Christian Eriksen's output, Isco is seen as someone who could ease the burden on the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane.

However, it seems as though Napoli are in pole position to sign Isco after a cryptic tweet, that was quickly deleted, mentioned the Spaniard.

The tweet said: "Isco - google search" before it was removed.

Still just 28, Isco is still a player with immense quality, and new Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, who has been out of work since being replaced by Antonio Conte at Inter in 2019, seems interested in the Real Madrid man.

Isco is into the final 12 months of his contract in Madrid, so Napoli are in a strong negotiation position, with Los Blancos keen not to lose him for free next summer. According to reports, just £6 million will be enough to pry the playmaker away from the Bernabeu, but with competition from clubs in Europe, Napoli will need to act fast.

How good has Isco been at Real Madrid?

Since leaving Malaga for Madrid in 2013, Isco has been a regular contributor, scoring 51 goals and assisting 47 for Los Blancos.

He was a fundamental part of their 2017/18 Champions League win, and was a favourite under Zinedine Zidane during his first spell in charge. However, since Zidane returned, Isco has been mostly shunned to the bench, and has failed to make over 20 starts for three consecutive seasons.

In fact, last campaign he made just eight league starts, and assisted twice in all competitions, failing to score.

If Napoli do land him, Spalletti will need to rejuvenate a player who has suffered a downturn in form over the past few seasons.