Isco
Isco Getty Images

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is keen to link up with Real Madrid star Isco, who is also a target for Liverpool.

According to the Daily Mail, the City boss wants to bring his former player from their days at Malaga to the Etihad stadium before the end of this summer's transfer window.

The Spanish midfielder has not been a consistent part of the starting XI at Real since his arrival from Malaga last summer. And with the arrival of World Cup star James Rodriguez to the Santiago Bernabeu, it could be difficult for Isco to get regular game time.

The Citizens manager has completed three signings thus far with Bacary Sagna arriving on a free transfer from Arsenal, midfielder Fernando from Porto and goalkeeper Willy Caballero from his former club Malaga.

It looks like the manager is looking to add more depth to the team in order to defend the Premier League title during the upcoming season, especially after seeing all their main rivals strengthening their respective squads.

The current European champions made a big effort to lure Isco away from Malaga and beat City to his signature last summer, but with regular game time not on the horizon, they might be open to the idea of letting the midfielder depart for pastures new.

Isco, who was left out of the squad for the World Cup, will be keen to play regularly after only starting 23 games in the La Liga last season.

However, the Etihad stadium outfit will face stiff competition from Liverpool, who are also linked with a move for the midfielder, especially with Brendan Rodgers looking to spend the huge cash windfall they made on the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

The Premier League champions may find it difficult to compete with Liverpool's new found riches due to the UEFA-imposed transfer cap and foreign quota limitations. This will hand the advantage to the Reds, helping them land the talented Spanish midfielder.