Well,i really don't know what happened with the isco deal. Different sources said that Isco was very close to join city (april-may -jun)
before the U21 tournament. Isco himself talked a lot about city and joining Pellegrini at the club, but he didn't, and he joined instead a club that he previously called "arrogant". Maybe he change his mind, It must be hard for a young spanish player to turn down the chance to join Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, and maybe, as some sources reported, RM made a better offer to Isco's dad for "agent fees" ( which is probably true because they do that a lot and they don't hide it).
But i must say that i find intriging that almost unanimously Málaga journalists have said that city approched isco's representatives ( his dad and Rafael Comino, his lawyer) but that city NEVER made a formal offer for isco to Málaga.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.eldesmarquemalaga.com/malaga-noticias/31892-el-madrid-se-suma-a-la-puja-por-isco" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.eldesmarquemalaga.com/malaga ... a-por-isco</a>
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/malagacf/2013/06/22/isco-elige-brasil-2014/597473.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/malagac ... 97473.html</a>
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/malagacf/2013/06/25/isco-detras-ancelotti/597996.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/malagac ... 97996.html</a>
<a class="postlink" href="http://deportes.terra.cl/equipos/espana/malaga/zidane-llave-en-la-operacion-isco,712b5da93568f310VgnVCM5000009ccceb0aRCRD.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://deportes.terra.cl/equipos/espana ... aRCRD.html</a>
I follow a lot of them on twitter, and they still can believe it, because they knew that Pellegrini really wanted him at city. Maybe txiki didn't rate him that highly. or maybe he tought that isco didn't worth that much money, or maybe city didn't made a formal offer because isco changed his mind and was determined to join RM so there was not point in making a formal offer.
Who knows, personally i think city should have close isco's deal before the under 21 tournament, and that was city's mistake .
BTW Florentino Perez didn't want to sign Isco, wasn't a big name for him. Some say that Zidane change his mind, but i think that it was far more important that Isco was choosen by Rm fans as the player they would love to see the most as a RM player <a class="postlink" href="http://www.marca.com/debate/2013/06/3666/prevotaciones3666.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.marca.com/debate/2013/06/366 ... s3666.html</a> just a week before it was reported that Málaga and RM had reached and agreement for his transfer.