Real Madrid are reportedly planning to sign Manchester City youngster Brahim Diaz in the summer, as they prepare to offload Spanish playmaker Isco.
According to a report from Spanish publication Don Balon, Real Madrid are set to sell star midfielder Isco as part of a summer clear out and are planning to replace him with Manchester City wonderkid Brahim Diaz.
Isco has been with Real Madrid for five years now, having arrived from Malaga in the summer of 2013 and has gone on to make 253 appearances for the club, scoring 44 times and registering 53 assists. The 26-year-old has won a La Liga title, one Spanish Cup and four UEFA Champions League trophies with the Merengues so far.
However, the 2018-19 campaign has been off to a rather slow start for the Spanish international. Isco has featured just 13 times in all competitions for Real Madrid this term, scoring and assisting two goals apiece. Strikingly, he hasn’t started a single game for Los Blancos, since Santiago Solari was handed the reins of the club last month.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is planning a revamp of the squad ahead of the next season and is open to offloading Isco, having been left unimpressed by the Spaniard’s performances in the ongoing season, amid interest from Premier League bigwigs Chelsea and Manchester City.
Isco still has almost four years left on his current contract with Los Blancos. However, should the 36-time capped Spanish international be sold in the summer, Real Madrid are planning to replace him with Manchester City teenage sensation Brahim Diaz.
The 19-year-old Spanish playmaker is regarded as one of the finest young talents to have come through the Manchester City youth ranks in recent times. Diaz made his first-team debut for the Cityzens in September 2016 and has since gone on to feature 14 times for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Diaz has taken the field three times in the 2018-19 campaign for Manchester City and has bagged two goals in the process – both coming in their Carabao Cup triumph over Fulham earlier this month. A central attacking midfielder primarily, the Spanish U-19 international can play out on the wings as well and is a technically gifted player.
However, Manchester City face the prospect of losing him at the end of the season as Diaz is in the final year of his contract with the Premier League champions. The playmaker is believed to have rejected a new contract offer and is prepared to run down his deal and leave the club in search of regular playing time, which isn’t coming his way at the Etihad.
Diaz will be able to begin talks with foreign clubs starting from January, but the report from Don Balon claims that there has been some dialogue between Real Madrid and the player’s representatives already.
A move to Santiago Bernabeu is starting to look like a distinct possibility for the 19-year-old Manchester City wonderkid, while Isco’s future at Madrid seems to be shrouded in uncertainty. It remains to be seen how this story develops over the course of the coming months.
