Speculation is growing over the future of James Rodriguez and Real Madrid have named their price as the Colombian pushes for a way out of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
From the early days of being a guaranteed starter under coach Carlo Ancelotti, the attacking midfielder has since fallen out with Rafa Benitez and been merely a rotation option for current boss Zinedine Zidane.
Cast aside during the Club World Cup in December, James instinctively headed towards the exit but was persuaded by the Frenchman to stay put and work harder, rejecting a offer from Chelsea at the last minute.
However, Rodriguez has only become an integral member of Zidane’s LaLiga squad in 2017, an XI infamously made out of fringe players while Isco & Co. get their chance in the huge Champions League games and derbies that James so desperately seeks.
With the 25-year-old now set on leaving, Real have slapped a 75 million euro price tag on his head as the Premier League champions continue to circle, along with rivals Manchester United.
Large parts of the media have already signalled Jose Mourinho’s lead in the race for Rodriguez’s signature and the player has asked Jorge Mendes to find him a new club, an agent who has long held a strong working relationship with the Portuguese coach.
Whether or not the deal could be impacted by Madrid’s chase of David de Gea remains to be seen, but for now Los Blancos are determined not to simply hand over former Monaco man for anything less than what they paid after his sterling showing at the 2014 World Cup.
COMMENTS