Antonio Conte is reportedly ready to rival Manchester United and PSG as he looks to bolster his squad with James Rodriguez ahead of next season.
According to a report by The Sun, James Rodriguez is ready to leave Real Madrid this summer as Europe’s biggest clubs fight it out for his signature, with Chelsea being the latest addition to that list.
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were believed to be the favourites in bagging Rodriguez but now with Chelsea in the fray, the race is truly heating up.
James Rodriguez first joined Real Madrid back in 2014 for £63million as the World Cup Golden Boot winner and was quickly labelled one of Europe’s most talented players. However, each year that followed saw his Galactico status diminish, which eventually led to less playing time and even lesser goals.
In fact, he was left out of the subs’ bench for Real Madrid’s Champions League final win over Juventus in Cardiff last weekend. Rodriguez has allegedly endured a fall-out with Zinedine Zidane and while this could be an outcome of that, it seems like this is the ideal time for him to move.
Interestingly, Rodriguez was close to moving to Stamford Bridge back in January after the departure of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG, but he chose to finish the campaign at the Bernabeu instead.
Antonio Conte seems to be willing to offer Rodriguez a place in the squad after reports emerging of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas possibly leaving the club. Considering they will have Champions League and Premier League commitments next season, the Blues will want a big name to join them.
However, a move to Chelsea will be advisable for Rodriguez only if Costa or Fabregas leave this summer. Chelsea, like Real Madrid, have a lot of attacking midfielders and it does seem unusual that they are looking to sign the Colombian since it might be like a repeat of what he is having to endure at Los Blancos.
Alvaro Morata was also understood to be a prime target for Chelsea, but he is rumoured to join Manchester United now. The Red Devils are also being closely linked to Rodriguez, especially after it was officially confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be a part of the squad next season.
Jose Mourinho already has a number of attacking players to choose from with Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard, but they haven’t been able to score as many goals which has become an area of concern. Signing Rodriguez can be a solution to that, given his ability to find the net.
Meanwhile, PSG have been without star quality since the Zlatan Ibrahimovic left the club. Right now, Edinson Cavani looks like the team’s main striker, and so the Parisian club are looking to strengthen the midfield instead.
James, without a doubt, is one of the world’s most creative play-makers and he will add quality to an already strong side at the Parc des Princes.
With such big names racing to sign a player labelled an outcast by Real Madrid, it only goes to show how talented James Rodriguez really is and whichever club signs him, will truly hit the jackpot.
