Real Madrid will almost certainly sell James Rodríguez this summer, but Isco should not follow him on the way out.
There are a handful of experienced players who will have to leave Real Madrid this summer, because the club needs to clear out space, minimize its wage bill, and raise funds for a future Kylian Mbappé signing.
Although Isco has never been mentioned in transfer rumors since the winter window, JuveFC.com recently relayed a report from Corriere dello Sport in Italy stating that Juventus’ Andrea Pirlo has interest in acquiring Isco. Since then, Real Madrid have decided to bring Martin Ødegaard back from his loan at Real Sociedad, likely in response to the team’s awful performance in the Champions League at Manchester City. Dani Ceballos could also follow.
So there’s going to be a surplus of talent in midfield, especially if Real actually decide to bring Ceballos to the first team from Arsenal. Because it seemed like he was guaranteed to play elsewhere again in 2020-2021, either by permanent transfer or a second loan.
Isco would cost Juve 60-70 million euros, per the report from Corriere dello Sport. That’s a steep price, and that’s money Real Madrid could absolutely use to sign a player at a bigger position of need or save up for Mbappé in the 2021 summer transfer window.
But I just don’t see Juve shelling out that kind of money. They don’t have 60 million euros available to spend on an attacking midfielder, and they have so many needs. Also, Juve, as seen in the way they acquired Arthur Melo from Barcelona, are more interested in swap deals. They have nothing but aging, mediocre, and expensive players to offer. Would Real have interest in Federico Bernardeschi or Aaron Ramsey? Absolutely not.
There’s also the matter of Isco’s quality. He often gets criticized by fans, but much of this is unfair. Isco returned to form in a big way in 2020, and while he only got one start after La Liga’s return, he was one of the best players on the team from January to March. His performance against Osasuna, Valencia, and Barcelona were top-class. Isco was the best player in either game against Manchester City. To close the season, he had both assists against Leganés.
Isco is also versatile. He can play as a center attacking midfielder, a forward in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, a left winger who can cut inside and score, or a right winger who can play a floating role as a creative playmaker. Real Madrid can have a great deal of success with him in any of those roles. And at 28 with his technical quality and dribbling ability, he isn’t slowing down. Isco is in his prime and just needs consistent playing time to perform at a high level.
So why sell him? Why risk a weakness in the attack and lose your best veteran creator with James Rodríguez already having one foot out the door? Maybe Isco is redundant with Ødegaard coming in, but I’m not sure Zinedine Zidane sees it that way. Real were at their best in the Champions League Round of 16 with Isco on the pitch, and Zidane is a fan of Isco. The player has done nothing to make his manager lose faith.
Both Ødegaard and Isco are needed. They play different roles and have different strengths and weaknesses despite, by name, playing the same position. It is a risk to sell Isco, especially to teams that either don’t have the funds to pay his value or anyone of interest to Los Blancos in a swap agreement.