Isco, Real Madrid Agree on Contract Extension Until 2022

Isco has committed his future to Real Madrid and agreed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2022.

Los Blancos announced the news in a short statement on Thursday: "Real Madrid and Isco have agreed to extend the player's contract, which will see him remain at the club until the 30th June 2022. Tomorrow, Friday, at 2 p.m., Isco will appear before the media in the press room of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium."

His previous contract was set to expire in 2018, but Real have now ensured that his long-term future lies in Madrid. 

Isco, 25, moved to Real from Malaga in 2013, but in his first three seasons at the club, he was in and out of the starting XI.

Per Stefan Coerts of Goal, he previously hinted that he may need to leave the club in order to secure more regular first-team action, with Tottenham Hotspur widely touted as a potential destination for the Spain international.

However, he has recently flourished as part of manager Zinedine Zidane's side. In 2016-17, he started to truly live up to his potential, netting 10 goals and providing eight assists in 30 appearances as Real won La Liga, and he played a crucial part in their successful UEFA Champions League defence, per WhoScored.com.

Isco's playmaking attributes are valuable to Zidane as he can operate on either flank or in the middle and facilitate an effective system that gives Real more control in the midfield.

He has long played second fiddle to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in Madrid, but he is now arguably part of Real's best attacking line. 

Isco's new deal will be welcomed by all at the Bernabeu and is a sign that he has a key role to play in Zidane's system in the long term.