James Rodriguez came to the city of Madrid in Spain after a successful outing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, hoping to become one of the best players in the world, at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
But what the Colombian did not know was that in two years’ time, he will be looking to move on from the Bernabeu, in search of a new club which will give his enough playing time than what Madrid have in these two seasons.
The 25-year old had been reported to have made up his mind on staying at the club this season, and would work hard to win a place in the starting line-up. But coach Zinedine Zidane has shown signs that he prefers the likes of Isco and Marco Asensio ahead of the Colombian.
New reports have been circulating which indicate that James’ agent Jorge Mendes has been told by the Real board of their decision to sell the player in this transfer window.
The Colombian skipper has made a total of 79 appearances for the Spanish club and has scored 25 goals in two seasons, which is fairly decent for a player who has not started many games.
A move away from the club could be the right one for James considering he is only 25-years old.
We look at the possible destinations for the player as things get hotter in the transfer window:
#5 Manchester United
Manchester United may have already splashed the cash on the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and the costliest player of all time, Paul Pogba. But there are still some areas in which their new manager Jose Mourinho wants to strengthen his side.
The Portuguese manager wants some pace in the wide positions which is lacking in current options like Juan Mata.
There have been talks about the former Chelsea manager looking at attacking options to further strengthen his side and Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez ticks all the boxes for the Manchester club. The attacking midfielder had been linked with the English side in the last transfer window as well but was not sold by his club.
But now, with him being out of favor at Madrid, Jorge Mendes has been in talks with many English clubs. It is also interesting to note that Mendes is also Jose Mourinho’s agent. Therefore, with the asking price of £65 million, it could well be United’s player to buy as they are never short of cash.
#4 Bayern Munich
Carlo Ancelotti took over the reigns of Bayern Munich from current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. But there have not been many changes that the manager has made to the German side.
There have been two incoming players for the Bavarians as they have bought Renato Sanches from Benfica and Mat Hummels from rivals Borussia Dortmund. However, the side has been weakened as Sebastian Rode and Mario Gotze have left for Dortmund in the transfer window.
Interestingly, Ancelotti has worked with James before at the Bernabeu and we could see a reunion at the Allianz Arena in the coming days. However, there are a lot of doubts over this deal taking place as the German club already have a bunch of world class attacking players in their ranks with the likes of Frank Ribery, Arjen Robben, Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa.
Therefore, it could be tough for James to fit into the side and the midfielder would be aware of that.
#3 Arsenal
Arsene Wenger has come under tremendous pressure in recent weeks to sign some big name players in the current transfer window. Just like every transfer window, the club has been linked with a bunch of players from Europe to South America.
The Gunners have been lacking in defence and striking options and Wenger has indicated he is in the transfer market for two more signings.
But he hasn’t expressed the positions that he wants to strengthen the squad. A defender is the need of the hour for the Frenchman but the right wing also looks weak with Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain failing to establish themselves in the role.
James Rodriguez has been linked with the Gunners recently and it is a deal that could happen in the coming days, as Wenger has said he will only sign players who will bring in quality to his side.
James will bring quality to the already star-studded side and the Gunners fans would be licking their lips at the prospect of seeing Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and James Rodriguez in Arsenal’s starting line-up.
Wenger has been known to pull off some high money deals in the recent seasons close to the end of transfer window. Rodriguez could be the final jigsaw in the puzzle for the Londoners.
#2 Paris Saint Germain
Paris Saint-Germain have failed to replace the iconic Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the Parc des Princes after the Swedish striker left on a free transfer to Manchester United. The club saw their manager Laurent Blanc also resign from his position after the 2015/16 season and has been replaced by Unai Emery. The latter had a great last season with Sevilla after he took them to a third consecutive Europa League victory.
But he has been having a tough job at his new club as they have not signed any major world class players in this transfer window. Their only notable signing is that of Real Madrid youngster, Jese Rodriguez.
But with Hatim Ben Arfa and Giovani Lo Celso the club have secured two attacking midfielders but there seems to be a lack of a world class midfielder.
Umery will be hoping that he can enhance talks with Real Madrid in the coming days and prise away the other Rodriguez from the Spanish club. The Colombian can fit into the French side just fine in the attacking third and his style of play will certainly be well suited to PSG’s. Don’t be surprised if you see the deal happening in the coming days.
#1 Chelsea
Chelsea started their life under new manager Antonio Conte with a nervy 2-1 win over a determined West Ham United side and there were signs that their attackers were struggling to break down the West Ham defence.
Conte started the trio of Willian, Oscar, and Hazard in attacking midfield, but there seemed to be a lack of imagination while attacking.
The club have been widely linked with James Rodriguez in this transfer window and it is a deal that could finally happen soon. There have also been reports that Conte is looking to off-load Cesc Fabregas, and Real Madrid are in the market for the former Barcelona man.
If Chelsea are to buy the Colombian from Madrid, it could see them paying cash plus Fabregas in exchange for Rodriguez, as Madrid want £65 million for their man.
But there is also the presence of another Rodriguez which could see this deal stalling. Pedro Rodriguez was bought by Jose Mourinho last season and while the Portuguese was sacked, Pedro was left behind with a not-so-secure future at the club.
The Spanish midfielder plays in the number 10 role which is also loved by James. Therefore, if the latter decides to move to the Bridge, it could mean tough competition for places with Oscar also in the queue.
