Tottenham and Chelsea linked with last-minute move for Isco and James Rodriguez

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the situation of James Rodriguez and Isco respectively ahead of making an eleventh hour offer to sign the Real Madrid cast-offs to the Premier League, according to Marca. The future of the two talented playmakers have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after Zinedine Zidane decided to recall Marco Asensio to the Santiago Bernabeu after his successful loan spell at Espanyol.

Asensio has thus started the first two La Liga games of the campaign ahead of the duo covering the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo in attack, playing alongside Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata.

Zidane confirmed on Friday that some players may need to leave Real Madrid before the end of the transfer window as he had too many options at his disposal, with Ronaldo and Karim Benzema also expected to add more competition to the squad after a long spell on the sidelines.

"Anything can happen until the 31st. Nobody is coming in, that's certain, but it's possible some may leave. This is the squad I've got and I'm happy with the players I have. There are injured players and some who still haven't come back yet. There's good depth, the season will be tough and we're going to need all of our players," Zidane said speaking ahead of the 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo. "I have 23 or 24 players and they're all going to get a game. Cristiano and Karim aren't playing and there are other players who have done well. When everyone is back, I'll make the decisions about who will play, that's not going to change. I want to be clear, every player is important and it's no surprise that they're all here. If they're playing for Real Madrid, it's because they're very good footballers".

The Real Madrid boss later ruled out the departure of Rodriguez but refused to do the same with Isco.

Marca reports that with less than 24 hours to the end of the transfer window none of them have a future at Real Madrid.

The Spanish publication also claims that Chelsea are still monitoring the situation of the Colombian international ahead of making a last-ditch attempt to sign him either on loan or on a permanent transfer.

The Mirror recently reported that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was also considering a loan move for Spanish international Isco for the rest of the 2016-2017 campaign, with an option to buy him next summer.

Those suggestions have increased in recent days after the Argentinian boss admitted that Spurs missed Mousa Dembele a lot during the 1-1 draw against Liverpool, as the Belgium star is yet to play this season due to suspension.

Marca insists that Tottenham have made enquiries to know the availability of the Spanish midfielder as Pochettino wants a player to help him in a busy campaign with Champions League football.

The Spanish publication claims that both deals were complex but "unexpected movements are always possible in the final hours before the window closes". Arsenal knows this well as they got the services of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on deadline day in the summer of 2013.