The future of James Rodriguez has been the talking point of this calendar year with the Colombian very frustrated at his limited game time. Chelsea and Manchester United were keen on signing the former Monaco attacker but his agent Jorge Mendes has revealed that Rodriguez will stay put at the Bernabeu and won't be leaving next month.
In spite of several clubs interested in securing a deal for Rodriguez, Mendes ended all rumours once and for all as he revealed his client's latest decision to stay at his current club, “James will not be leaving Madrid in January," as quoted from AS.
Rumours began when Rodriguez was kept on the bench in the final of the Club World Cup, which Real Madrid won to clinch their third trophy of the year. After the final whistle, the Colombian expressed his disappointment of his current bit-part role at the club. He said, "I’m happy here, but I want to play more. I want to stay at Madrid forever, but you have to think about everything and look at your options. I have offers and I've got seven days to think about it."
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has opted for other options this season and relegated the Colombian to a role on the bench.
James is 20th most used player in Real Madrid squad
Rodriguez is the 20th most used player in the 24-man Real Madrid squad which reflects his reduced importance at the club. He was signed in 2014 for a whopping €80 million and had a decent first season under Carlo Ancelotti.
Also Read: Chelsea end interest in Real Madrid's James Rodriguez just as Manchester United enter race
This season has been a different story and since the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as the manager of the Los Blancos, Rodriguez has played just 2,091 minutes, which is 43.3 percent of the total minutes.
James is said to be keen to change his perception at the club with a double header against Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey a good opportunity for the Colombian to showcase his skills to the fans and the manager. An injury to Gareth Bale might give him a final chance to prove his worth to the club who value him at around €60 million.
