Sevilla sign former Real Madrid midfielder Isco

Madrid, Aug 7 (IANS) La Liga side Sevilla on Sunday announced the signing of Real Madrid's former Spain international midfielder Isco on a free transfer.Isco was a free agent after his Real Madrid contract expired at the end of June, and he will join Sevilla on a two-year deal subject to passing a medical on Monday.The 30-year-old arrived at Real Madrid from Malaga in 2013 and made 353 appearances for the club, scoring 51 goals, but fell out of favour in the last three years, in which most of his appearances were from the substitutes' bench.He will link up with players such as Ivan Rakitic, 'Papu' Gomez, Lucas Ocampos and Erik Lamela as Julen Lopetegui's side looks to improve on last season's fourth place finish in La Liga.Lopetegui worked with Isco during his brief spell as Real Madrid coach and also worked with the attacking midfielder during his two years as coach of the Spanish national team, reports Xinhua.Isco has made 38 appearances for Spain, scoring 12 goals, but his lack of appearances with Real Madrid saw him omitted from the squad for last summer's European Championships. However, if he can recapture his form with Sevilla, he could still make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.Sevilla begins La Liga at home to Osasuna next weekend, but Isco is unlikely to have reached match fitness by then.

--IANSinj

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