Arsenal have reportedly made initial contact with European champions Real Madrid over the possibility of taking James Rodriguez on loan till the end of the season.
As per a report from The Independent, Arsenal are exploring the possibility of signing Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez on loan in the ongoing transfer window and have established contact with the player’s parent club Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old is currently away on loan with German champions Bayern Munich and will be returning to Real, once the deal expires at the end of the season, with the Bavarians not keen on signing him permanently.
James joined Real Madrid back in the summer of 2014 from AS Monaco after a spectacular World Cup with Colombia. Over the next three seasons, the 27-year-old went on to make 111 appearances for the club winning a La Liga title and two UEFA Champions League trophies.
However, having seen game time reduce significantly under Zinedine Zidane, the Colombian international secured a two-year loan move to Bayern Munich. He won the Bundesliga title in his debut term in Germany and has featured 12 times in all competitions in the ongoing campaign, chipping in with three goals and two assists.
It is believed that James is keen on staying at Real Madrid after his loan deal with Bayern Munich runs out. The playmaker, who is contracted with the Spanish capital club till the summer of 2021, wants to stay and fight for a starting berth at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, with Real Madrid intent on signing Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur, they want to offload the 66-time capped Colombian international on a permanent basis.
And Arsenal are hoping to convince the reigning European champions to cut short his current temporary arrangement in order to secure him on loan till the end of the term, with an option of making the transfer permanent in the summer. The report further adds that Bayern too are open to the possibility of such a deal going through this month.
The Gunners are believed to be looking for replacements for Mesut Ozil, who has seemingly fallen out of favour with manager Unai Emery. The former Real Madrid star, who is Arsenal’s biggest wage-earner at £350,000-a-week, hasn’t played a single minute since the 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Boxing Day last month.
Arsenal reportedly offered Ozil to AC Milan this month, but the Rossoneri are understood to have rejected the proposal. The North Londoners are also reportedly willing to send the 30-year-old to Bayern as a makeweight to bring James to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal are yet to make a signing in the ongoing transfer window, with Unai Emery earlier admitting that funds were tight at the club. It remains to be seen if they are able to get James before the end of the month. And if they do sign him, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Ozil.
