Gossip: Real Madrid 'ready to axe' Isco with Hazard waiting in the wings, Man United close on midfielder and more
Isco’s rollercoaster Real Madrid career continues with the news that he is set to be offloaded by Zinedine Zidane this summer.
The Spanish playmaker appeared to have turned his Bernabeu career around under the French legend, but the Sun says he will be now be axed after “majorly underperforming” this season.
Chelsea are among the clubs said to be interested, and Real could reportedly offer the Blues Isco in part-exchange for Eden Hazard.
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Meanwhile, if Riyad Mahrez thought he couldn’t get any more miserable, he thought wrong. Having been denied a January move to Manchester City, and upset everyone in Leicester by subsequently going AWOL, the Algerian now appears to have burned his bridges with Pep Guardiola too.
The Mirror says the City manager is “not impressed” with the winger’s reaction to the events of deadline day and is ready to “scrap” the signing of Mahrez this summer.
Manchester United finally closing in on Fabinho
Some nights, Fabinho must lay awake wondering if he is ever actually going to sign for Manchester United.
The Brazilian right-back has been linked with the Red Devils for so long that he’s not even a right-back anymore. He was linked with them back when Monaco’s Champions League heroics and glorious Ligue 1 title run were just a twinkle in a Russian businessman’s eye. Before Mbappe. Before Lemar. Even before Bakayoko.
But years later, the 24-year-old still finds himself in the principality, playing in front of crowds of 7,000 and reading stories on the Daily Mirror website saying he is on the verge of a move to Old Trafford.
Today’s such story claims United are “closing in” on a £45m deal for Fabinho and are “believed to be in talks” with Monaco about sealing the transfer.
With manager Jose Mourinho “keen to make the move happen”, United chiefs have allegedly made contact with their French counterparts in a bid to “get the deal thrashed out before the summer” before Paris Saint-Germain wade in and spoil it.
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But Fabinho won’t be holding his breath. He’s read this kind of thing many times before and he’s no closer to the Theatre of Dreams than David Bellion.
One young man who can finally feel ensconced in Mourinho’s warm bosom, however, is Luke Shaw. The Star reports that the left-back will be handed proof he has finally won his manager’s heart when United offer him a brand new contract to reward him for his recent good form.
Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred has chosen City ahead of Man Utd and will seal a £50m move to the Etihad at the end of the season (Mirror), Tottenham are plotting a move for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure and could pay more than £20m for the 25-year-old Frenchman (Mail) and Chinese side Hebei China Fortune are ready to pay £618m for Barcelona star Lionel Messi in a move personally sanctioned by President Xi (Mundo Deportivo). Wonder if it was also his idea for Shandong Luneng to pay Graziano Pelle a salary of £50,000 per day.
