Isco reveals he was contacted by La Liga club before move to Real Betis

It’s safe to say that Isco Alarcon has been one of the signings of the season, not only in La Liga but across Europe. The 31-year-old playmaker has been in spectacular form for Real Betis, whom he joined last summer as a free agent, having left fellow Andalusian side Sevilla back in December 2022.

Isco spent several months out of the game, a decision that he made on his own. He attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe upon leaving Sevilla, but he intended to remain unattached until the end of the 2022-23 campaign, which he did.

Speaking on an interview with “Universo Valdano” (via MD), Isco revealed that one of the clubs to make him an offer during last January’s transfer window was Celta Vigo, with club captain Iago Aspas having been sent to try and persuade the former Real Madrid man.

“On the way back, it’s something I never talked about. I get an offer from Celta, and it was Iago Aspas who calls me. I said I couldn’t. I needed to rest, recycle ideas in my mind. I can’t accept an offer because I don’t think I was ready to perform mentally. It was the end of January, the last day of the transfer window, and I said I wasn’t going to listen to any offers. I said I was going to treat myself mentally and I’m going to come back strong. Mental therapy helped me a lot to realise a lot of things.”

There’s no doubt that Celta Vigo will be devastated to have missed out to Isco, especially given the form that he has shown for Real Betis this season.