James Rodriguez has provided a boost to any interested clubs after admitting he is considering offers from other clubs and could yet leave Real Madrid
James Rodriguez has been linked with a host of clubs after struggling to break into the first team this season. Manchester United and Chelsea are said to be the most interested parties with the former said to even be considering a swap deal with Real Madrid involving Anthony Martial and Rodriguez. Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be interested in the Colombian’s services.
Rodriguez has hardly featured for Real Madrid this season, only managing 13 appearances across all competitions – 6 of which have come as a substitute. Zidane has previously stated that he wants the midfielder to stay at Real Madrid, but it appears that Rodriguez is now seriously considering whether that is the best option for him :
“I can’t assure I will stay at Real Madrid,’ he said. ‘I have offers and seven days left to think about my future,’he told reporters, according to the Daily Mail.
He was also unhappy at being an unused substitute in Madrid’s victory in the Club World Cup final and stressed that he wanted to play more :
“I am happy in Madrid, but I want to play more. I have a bitter feeling as I wanted to play the final, but I am happy for the title. It’s my 15th title in my career,” he said.
Rodriguez, who joined Real Madrid in a £63million from Monaco after a hugely impressive 2014 World Cup, and impressed in his debut campaign, scoring 13 goals in 29 La Liga starts. But he has slowly fallen out of favour with manager Zinedine Zidane since the latter took over, and is clearly looking for a move.
Antonio Conte is said to be a huge admirer, as is Jose Mourinho, who had departed from Real by the time Rodriguez arrived. Mourinho is looking for reinforcements in attack and Rodriguez could be the heir to the No. 10 role as Rooney is slowly phased out.
It is unlikely that Rodriguez will come cheap, however, with the midfielder’s contract running until 2020. Madrid will not be in a position where they are forced to sell him or risk losing him at a reduced fee, but for Manchester United and Chelsea, transfer fees have never been an issue.
Abramovich will be more than happy to back Antonio Conte with funds given his brilliant campaign so far, and Mourinho who feels he needs reinforcements, is unlikely to have any trouble convincing the United brass to free up funds either.
We could well be seeing Rodriguez in the English Premier League sooner than we thought.