Isco the man to replace Silva – report

Reports in Spain claim Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola sees Real Madrid’s Isco as the perfect replacement for David Silva.

Silva admitted on Wednesday that the upcoming season will be his last for the Citizens and he will bring down the curtain on a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad next May.

The former Spain international, who will turn 34 in January, has made 395 appearances for City in all competitions, bagging 70 goals, and picked up his fourth Premier League winner’s medal at the end of last season.

The Spaniard also has two FA Cups on his CV while he has won the League Cup on four occasions and will go down as a City legend when the dust settles on his career.

Guardiola will doubtless be planning for his exit already and a report by Spanish publication Marca suggests that he may well move for compatriot Isco, who is valued at around 80m euros by Los Blancos.

It is said the former Barcelona chief has always held the attacking midfielder in ‘high regard’ and has ‘not forgotten’ about him from his time in charge of the Catalans. It remains to be seen if Real would want to sell the player but he started just 11 La Liga games for the capital outfit last term, scoring three times.

Zinedine Zidane has started a revolution at the club and seems prepared to jettison the old guard and, while Isco is not pensionable just yet, he may be open to a move to see more action.

Real can be backed at 2.30 to win the Spanish top-flight title while City are on offer at 1.60 to claim a hat-trick of Premier League crowns.