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Manchester City make Isco top January target ahead of Falcao & Jovetic
Oct 12, 2012 7:45:00 AM
The Premier League champions have prioritised a move for the Malaga playmaker after learning that the Spanish club will offload him if his €21 million release clause is triggered
EXCLUSIVEBy Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent
Manchester City have made Malaga playmaker Isco their No.1 January target ahead of Radamel Falcao and Stevan Jovetic, Goal.com has learned.
Isco, who has a £16.9 million release clause in his contract, has climbed to the top of City’s target list after they received encouragement from the Spanish club that he could be available when the window re-opens.
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Falcao, the prolific Colombian striker, also played in the match but Atletico are adamant that the long-time City target will not be sold before next summer.
City have faced a similar brick wall in their pursuit of Jovetic from Fiorentina. It is understood that the Serie A club have come to an agreement with the €31 million-rated forward that he can be sold next year, although this is most likely to be at the end of the season.
The champions view Isco, who made his debut for Spain earlier this year, before failing to make the final cut for the 23-man squad that went on to win Euro 2012, as a perfect alternative to Eden Hazard, who they missed out on in the summer.
The attacking midfielder has been a central figure in the Malaga team that have climbed to third in La Liga following the sale of Santi Cazorla to Arsenal, starting all seven of the club’s league games and scoring twice in their 3-0 Champions League victory over Zenit St Petersburg.
Isco is a product of Valencia’s youth team and has been highly recommended to Etihad Stadium staff by David Silva, another star academy graduate and current City high-flyer.
Malaga sporting director Mario Armando Husillos admitted in an interview this week that the cash-strapped club would have no option but to offload Isco if his €21m buy-out clause is triggered.
"Isco is our player and is a very important member of the team,” Husillos said. “He's not for sale. We want to keep him here, but everyone knows that players have a release clause. So, if a club meets this clause, it will be out of our hands.”
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Live!
Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
6:59 PM BST
Carlo is positively flying through your questions on Twitter, so still time to get in touch.
@Austeenite 2m: Who is the best defender in this season's UCL?
CG: We are living in an era where you can count on one hand the number of top quality defenders. In truth, very few stoppers impress me anymore. Thiago Silva is the best defender in the world, and was absolutely brilliant in the quarter final against Barcelona. But if there is one defender who has emerged this term it is probably Dante from Bayern. He has been a monster, and the ease with which he nullified the attacks of Juventus and Barcelona - even if the former is nothing to sing and dance about - was a head-turner. I'm looking forward to his battle with Lewandowski tonight.
@Austeenite 2m: Who is the best defender in this season's UCL?
CG: We are living in an era where you can count on one hand the number of top quality defenders. In truth, very few stoppers impress me anymore. Thiago Silva is the best defender in the world, and was absolutely brilliant in the quarter final against Barcelona. But if there is one defender who has emerged this term it is probably Dante from Bayern. He has been a monster, and the ease with which he nullified the attacks of Juventus and Barcelona - even if the former is nothing to sing and dance about - was a head-turner. I'm looking forward to his battle with Lewandowski tonight.
6:56 PM BST
More from our Q&A with Carlo Garganese:
@CazorlaAFC007: Are we looking at the best two teams in Europe?
CG: Certainly these have been the two best teams in Europe this season. They have proven that by progressing all the way to the final, and what is more they have defeated top quality opponents along the way. Bayern have smashed an outstanding Juventus side and the fabled Barcelona, while Dortmund qualified from a group containing the champions of Spain, England and Netherlands before seeing off a superb Shakhtar team and then Mourinho's Real Madrid again.
It takes more than one season to prove you are the best two teams in Europe though, and Dortmund will surely decline a touch when they lose Gotze and Lewandowski, but this season at least they have been the top two.
@CazorlaAFC007: Are we looking at the best two teams in Europe?
CG: Certainly these have been the two best teams in Europe this season. They have proven that by progressing all the way to the final, and what is more they have defeated top quality opponents along the way. Bayern have smashed an outstanding Juventus side and the fabled Barcelona, while Dortmund qualified from a group containing the champions of Spain, England and Netherlands before seeing off a superb Shakhtar team and then Mourinho's Real Madrid again.
It takes more than one season to prove you are the best two teams in Europe though, and Dortmund will surely decline a touch when they lose Gotze and Lewandowski, but this season at least they have been the top two.
6:53 PM BST
Carlo Garganese is in the house, so so keep your questions coming on Twitter, folks.
@SaryHishi: Can the Gotze injury determine the outcome in this match ? As in can the injury affect BVB that much ? #UCL
CG: Dortmund are significantly weakened by the injury to Gotze. The youngster is not only crucial offensively, but he also plays a key role in cutting the supply line from deep, as he did so brilliantly against Xabi Alonso when Dortmund played Madrid. Dortmund still have plenty of other weapons, but there is no doubt that they are a stronger side with Gotze in the team.
@SaryHishi: Can the Gotze injury determine the outcome in this match ? As in can the injury affect BVB that much ? #UCL
CG: Dortmund are significantly weakened by the injury to Gotze. The youngster is not only crucial offensively, but he also plays a key role in cutting the supply line from deep, as he did so brilliantly against Xabi Alonso when Dortmund played Madrid. Dortmund still have plenty of other weapons, but there is no doubt that they are a stronger side with Gotze in the team.
6:49 PM BST
Fair to say that our man Jay Jaffa is really savouring the atmosphere at Wembley right now:
"Just off Wembley Way I've found a Bayern 'area', if you can call it that. A mass of red-shirted fans are lapping up the last of the sunshine and having a sing-song. On the opposite side of Wembley, Dortmund have an official brass band smashing out A-Ha's 1985 classic 'Take On Me', while a group of insanely talented ball jugglers entertain the passers by. It's ramping up now, more folk are filling the walkways and it truly feels like the Champions League final. Not long now ... "
Couldn't agree more with Jay: the excitement really is building; and 'Take On Me' was indeed a classic. Indeed, if the 1980s gave us nothing else (and other than Arrigo Sacchi's wonderful Milan side, they didn't!), they did at least provide us with a pop song as brilliant as its video - a rare occurrence in the music world.
"Just off Wembley Way I've found a Bayern 'area', if you can call it that. A mass of red-shirted fans are lapping up the last of the sunshine and having a sing-song. On the opposite side of Wembley, Dortmund have an official brass band smashing out A-Ha's 1985 classic 'Take On Me', while a group of insanely talented ball jugglers entertain the passers by. It's ramping up now, more folk are filling the walkways and it truly feels like the Champions League final. Not long now ... "
Couldn't agree more with Jay: the excitement really is building; and 'Take On Me' was indeed a classic. Indeed, if the 1980s gave us nothing else (and other than Arrigo Sacchi's wonderful Milan side, they didn't!), they did at least provide us with a pop song as brilliant as its video - a rare occurrence in the music world.
6:40 PM BST
And now the Bayern line-up! The only small surprise here is that Jerome Boateng has been preferred to Daniel van Buyten alongside Dante at the heart of the defence. As expected, Mario Mandzukic has got the nod up front ahead of Mario Gomez.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Martinez, Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Mandzukic.
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