Everton boss Rafa Benitez plans to raid former club Real Madrid with Isco and Luka Jovic potentially on their way to the Premier League, as reported by Defensa Central.
And before you ask where the Toffees are going to find the money to sign a Champions League-winning Spain international and a £52 million centre-forward, it seems Spanish publication DC has provided the answer.
It’s understood Jovic and Isco would move to Goodison Park on initial short-term loan deals in January until the end of the season.
Isco will be a free agent when the season comes to an end too.
So assuming the 29-year-old impresses at Goodison Park, Everton will have the opportunity to keep one of Europe’s most naturally gifted playmakers without spending a penny on transfer fees.
It isn’t certain how much Madrid would demand for Jovic, however.
The seldom-seen Serbian has four years left on his deal but, having played just 31 minutes of La Liga football under Carlo Ancelotti this season, it seems his chances of securing a regular starting berth are about as slim now as they were when Zinedine Zidane was in charge.
Madrid would surely welcome the chance to get Jovic off the books for good having loaned him back to former club Eintracht Frankfurt for the second half of last term.
Don’t be surprised if, despite investing more than £52 million in the striker in 2019, Jovic finds himself on the market for somewhere in the region of £20 million next summer.
Are these Real Madrid to Everton transfers realistic?
But while Jovic to Everton makes sense – the Toffees could do with competition for Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Salomon Rondon struggles to adapt to life back in England – it’s difficult to imagine Benitez welcoming Isco to Goodison Park with open arms, despite Defensa Central’s claims to the contrary.
Isco, like James Rodriguez, struggled for game time under Benitez in Madrid.
And Isco, like James Rodriguez, is starting to look like a man out of time in the modern game. He’s certainly not a natural fit for Benitez’s high-octane, counter-attacking game plan.
Watch this space.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
