Real Madrid are still asking for too much money for Isco

It’s no secret that Isco wants to leave Real Madrid this January, but can Los Blancos compromise on their asking price for the attacking midfielder?

On his day, Isco can be one of the most exciting playmakers in European football, and Real Madrid did indeed see the player close to his best earlier this year. Isco had big performance against Osasuna, Manchester City, and Barcelona, and had a couple of nice showings in the 2020-2021 La Liga campaign despite mostly being restricted to the bench.

With Martin Odegaard now on the first team following a one-year loan at Real Sociedad, Isco’s stock has taken a hit. There’s optimism that Zinedine Zidane can get the most out of a player who was once high on his list of favorites, but Isco has to produce first.

But Isco also sees more opportunity for minutes and a featured role elsewhere, which is understandable. If the right offer comes in January, Isco could very well end up shining with another side, just like James Rodriguez at Everton.

According to a report from Carlos Forjanes of AS, Real Madrid are still asking for 60 to 70 million euros for Isco. They do not want to keep Isco against his own wishes if he is determined to leave, but they need money and won’t settle for a lowball offer. I’m guessing part of that stance stems from the potential for the Andalusian to play a key role down the stretch of the season for Real Madrid, especially noting his past success with Zidane.

It’s a tricky situation, but 60 million euros is an astronomical asking price for Isco. We don’t know if this is 100 percent what they want, but anything remotely near this figure is asking for too much. Isco might not even realistically garner 30 million euros, as his valuation is closer to James’ than 60 million, which is roughly what a star player in good form is worth. Isco can be a star player, but he is not in good enough form for teams to spend that much on him.

Keeping Isco is not a worst-case for Real Madrid by any means, and Real should not accept anything less than his true value. But Real must also admit that his value to the club is not nearly 60 million euros in this dire economy.