Isco calls his dog 'Messi'

Not a few days ago, Real Madrid have officially announced the capture of highly-rated Spanish international, Isco (21). Youngster was a long-term target for Manchester City and newly-appointed City coach, Manuel Pellegrini was left disappointed to find out his former star has chosen another club. Despite his release clause being around £30M, the clubs have reached an agreement around £23M.

Controversy was up in the air when it was found out, from his previous interviews from his Valencia days, that Isco was a self-proclaimed anti-Madrista due to Real Madrid's apparent arrogance and bad attitude towards the game.

Now, on a bit of a lighter note, Isco has explained why he calls his dog 'Messi' when questioned about it: "I named my dog 'Messi' because Messi is the best in the world, and so is my dog".

Isco has also revealed his admiration for Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, while also claiming that Ronaldinho is an inspiration.

Fernandinho v Paulinho: Who's a better deal?

After 8 seasons spent in Ukraine, high-profile playmaker Fernandinho (28) has made a £30M switch to Manchester City. He was a first major acquisition for the Etihad-based side, who were looking to add depth in their aging midfield, with Gareth Barry's City future in doubt.

Having made his debut for the national side in 2011, it is fair to assume that Fernandinho was not a favored pick for the majority of Seleção coaches. So far he has made just 5 appearances for Brazil and hasn't been a part of any major tournaments the nation has participated in.

Paulinho, his 25 year old counterpart, on the other hand, appears to be rated quite highly at his homeland. He made his debut in 2011 as well, but has been a major part of the national side ever since, making 15 appearances and finding the net on 4 occasions. Still a Corinthians player, Paulinho is expected to make a move to Manchester City's Premier League rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, who have matched his release clause which states he can leave the club if a £17M offer is submitted.

Being significantly younger, more consistent with the national side, a lot cheaper and arguably more complete player than Fernandinho, given the comparison, it would seem that Tottenham are about to pull yet another major coup in his signing.

Top 10 summer transfer fees (so far)

With almost a full month for the transfer window to open, several high-profile deals have already been concluded in what promises to be one thrilling transfer window. So far the total amount of money spent on fees across Europe exceeds a sum of €400M. Listed below are the highest-paid transfers of the 2013/14 summer transfer window (figures are listed in European euros):

Falcao (60M) - Atletico Madrid (SPA) to Monaco (FRA)

Neymar (57M) - Santos (BRA) to Barcelona (SPA)

James Rodriguez (45M) - FC Porto (POR) to Monaco (FRA)

Mario Götze (37M) - Borussia Dortmund (GER) to Bayern Munich (GER)

João Moutinho (25M) - FC Porto (POR) to Monaco (FRA)

Ricky van Wolfswinkel (10M) - Sporting (POR) to Norwich (ENG)

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (9.5M) - Werder Bremen (GER) to Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Diego Reyes (7M) - CF América (MEX) to FC Porto (POR)

Daniel Carvajal (6.5M) - Bayer Leverkusen (GER) to Real Madrid (SPA)

Aurélien Chedjou (6.3M) - Lille (FRA) to Galatasaray (TUR)