In what could be one of the most sensational January loan deals ever, Mauricio Pochettino is looking to take advantage of James Rodriguez’s Real Madrid situation and lure him to the White Hart Lane on a six-month loan deal. The former Espanyol boss’ team has somewhat stagnated after a superb start, and he has eyed James a potent weapon to shoot them to Premier League glory.
According to our sources, the Argentine manager has asked Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to barter a move for the Colombian star. Despite being on the bench for most of the time, the former Monaco man’s value is still close to the €80 million that Real Madrid spent on him after the World Cup in 2014.
Our sources believe that Levy is unwilling to pay such an amount considering that a new stadium is on the horizon and hence would like to lure him in with a loan deal with no option to buy. Our sources further state that the North London club are willing to pay an initial loan fee of £4.5 million as well as 100% of his wages.
The mood in Madrid is yet to be informed to us by our sources but if Zinedine Zidane’s recent press conference is anything to go by, a loan deal might just be of an interest to the Blancos. The legendary World Cup-winning former France captain stated that the former Porto star’s situation at the club is a problem.
Also Read: Kevin De Bruyne and James Rodriguez swap deal on the cards?
While speaking at a press conference ahead of the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund, the Real Madrid manager praised his star while also claiming that not getting the sufficient amount of game time remains a problem for James.
“I really admire James Rodriguez, because he always trains hard and is always very helpful. I’m on good terms with him, like with everybody else here.
“A player who doesn’t get enough game time, however, could ask to leave the club. He’s an important player for me and Real Madrid, but he’s a problem for us now as he doesn’t get consistent game time. I know I’ll need the help of everybody throughout the season.”
Whether or not James would be interested in such a move remains to be seen. In the summer, the player rejected a move that would have seen him go to Italy to join Inter for a reported mammoth fee of €85 million.
According to James himself, he rejected the move as he wanted to prove himself with the Whites—something that hasn’t gone so well for him, thus far, since the front three spots are taken by Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema while the midfield is covered by the preferred trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
And that is something that could prompt him to finally make a move.
