Isco to Tottenham is one of our favourite rumours. It pops up every now and again and Spurs fans understandably get excited about the possibility before letting reasonable cynicism take over and ruin it all.
There’s nothing wrong with the idea or hope. If Tottenham fans have to listen to nonsense about Harry Kane and Dele Alli going to Real Madrid, then it’s only right there’s something to balance it the other way.
Barcelona have long been linked with the player, and Mundo Deportivo go over claims that there’s already been some kind of contact. The Catalan club would want 24 year old Isco to run down his Madrid contract completely, and then join them for free.
In return Isco would not only get to be a Barcelona player, a team he supposedly supported as a boy, but also a signing-on fee of €20m paid over the duration of his contract.
This is a scenario Real Madrid can’t let happen, it’s a scenario which would give Florentino Perez worse nightmares than Daniel Levy managed to give him over the Gareth Bale and Luka Modric sagas.
Therefore, Madrid will do anything to prevent this. And that creates a summer opportunity for Tottenham and others should Isco not renew.
Levy could ride into the Bernabeu on a white horse offering Perez a solution to his problem. Tottenham could also throw in some non-committal nonsense about first option on Kane and Alli, and everyone is a winner.
Convincing Isco himself may well be harder, but that could perhaps be left to Perez to sort out.
