Manchester United and Inter Milan have reportedly initiated talks to land James Rodriguez from Real Madrid in the summer.
French radio station RMC Sport have reported that Manchester United and Inter Milan are both locked in discussions with Real Madrid over a move for James Rodriguez in the summer transfer window. Los Blancos, though, are holding out for £60 million for the wantaway Colombian midfielder.
James Rodriguez has endured a stop start career at Real Madrid ever since Zinedine Zidane was appointed at the helm at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having fallen out of favour with the Frenchman, the player has fallen down the pecking order, managing just 18 starts in all of 2016/17.
Despite opportunities being hard to come by, though, James turned in a respectable return, with 11 goals and 8 assists in all competitions. However, with game time coming at a premium, the Colombian has cut a frustrated figure at the Bernabeu, and is almost certain to leave Real Madrid this summer.
L’Inter Milan & #MUFC sont en discussions pour le transfert de James Rodriguez. #PSG à l’affût aussi.
Le #RealMadrid en espère 70M€.— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 5, 2017
Several clubs have been linked with James over the last few months, but Manchester United and Inter Milan are the front-runners vying for his signature. The two clubs have established talks with Real Madrid over a possible move in the summer transfer window.
Jose Mourinho, who will kick in the second phase of his squad rebuilding at Manchester United in the summer, is believed to be eager to bolster his attacking options. The Portuguese currently has the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney at his disposal.
But James brings different qualities to the table, and can be a big asset for the Manchester United boss with his dangerous eye for goal in a side that often struggled to find the back of the net. However, the Premier League heavyweights have Inter Milan for company in the race to sign the player.
Inter’s Chinese owners, the Suning Group, are set to bankroll an overhaul this summer to help newly-appointed manager Luciano Spalletti’s bid to create a squad capable of challenging for the Serie A again. Attack is believed to be a priority for the Nerazzurri and James has been identified as a top target.
For James, a move to either side will provide him an opportunity to play regular football again, although he will be able to play Champions League football with Manchester United, which could hand the Red Devils an advantage during negotiations.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are holding out for £60 million for the 25-year-old. While the aforementioned figure is unlikely to deter Manchester United in their pursuit of James, it remains to be seen if Inter are willing to shell out the sum for the player.
