What’s the story?
Premier league champions Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez, according to AS. The Colombian international has been linked with a move to Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain but it looks like Antonio Conte is ready to outbid both parties to secure the services of the highly rated midfielder after giving up on Alvaro Morata, who is set to join Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
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Rodriguez, who won the Golden Boot award in the 2014 World Cup, signed for the Los Blancos for a fee of £71m from Monaco. He struggled for game time at the Bernabeu in the recently concluded season and has already confirmed that he will be looking to move on at the end of the season after a few top European clubs have emerged as possible destinations.
The 25-year-old only managed to make 22 appearances in the La Liga and it is understood that Zinedine Zidane has made up his mind to let the player go.
Rodriguez was previously linked to Chelsea in January when he actually came close to signing for the club after the departure of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG. Now that club president Florentino Perez made it clear that they would like to go ahead with a move for Kylian Mbappe, it is understood that Real will look to let go of their unwanted players which has the midfielder on top of the list.
The heart of the matter
It’s a no-brainer that Rodriguez will make a move away from Spain before the end of the transfer window with so many options at his disposal. The player could enjoy a much bigger role at Chelsea after Conte made it clear that he is willing to let go of both Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas if suitable offers arrive. Chelsea will also be playing in four competitions next season and the player could become an ideal fit for the club’s European ambitions.
What’s next?
Chelsea will reportedly table a bid this week after sorting out the details of the deal for AS Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and will look to make him their player before the start of the pre-season preparations.
Author’s take
Rodriguez still has a lot to offer to any top side and his abilities can be used in better ways than just spending time on the bench and Chelsea could be the side where he can turn things around after a disappointing season.
