Isco is the next big thing to come off the famed Spanish midfield production line and is one of the most sought after players in world football today. His performances in the Champions League this season have been nothing short of extraordinary, helping Malaga to go undefeated in the group stages. He recently netted a screamer in their 2-0 win over Porto to send them through to the last eight, with a mouth-watering tie against Borussia Dortmund as the reward.

The 20-year-old signed a new long term deal with the Spanish outfit less than two months ago, but that is unlikely to deter any potential suitors since UEFA have banned Malaga from the Champions League for a year due to unpaid bills and the club are in dire need of some cash-flow management to smooth out their operations even though their owners are clearly not short of funds.

Isco has himself stated that he would consider a move away to help the mis-managed club. Speculation is rife that the playmaker signed a new contract just to increase his buy-out clause, which is now set at a cool £30 million.

With a move in the summer seemingly imminent, Arsenal are ready to pounce on the young star by submitting a record bid to activate the £30 million buy-out clause in so doing smashing their record transfer fee, which sits at a meagre £15 million – the fee they paid when they purchased Andre Arshavin.

The acquisition of Isco would send out a long overdue message to other rival clubs that Arsenal mean business next season. Arsenal have sold key players in recent windows like Van Persie and Fabregas, and have failed to replace them. This is set to change in the summer, with Wenger eyeing quality recruits to challenge for top honours.