According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Real Madrid want to sell James Rodriguez this summer in order to finance future transfers.
Zinedine Zidane wants to bring in his own Galacticos before Real Madrid’s transfer ban takes effect, with Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski at the top of his wish list.
Those two transfers will cost at least €150m combined which means that Real needs to sell in order to fund these purchases. Madrid president Florentino Perez had been hoping to flog Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United, but with Jose Mourinho taking over at Old Trafford that deal is off.
With Gareth Bale untouchable, James is the logical player to sell as he is not a regular part of the starting XI and will command a high transfer fee.
In his first season at the Bernabeu, James scored 13 times in La Liga and provided the same number of assists, an indication he could be a major long-term asset for Real.
However, his drop in form this season has been dramatic, and he has hardly helped Real as they have attempted to keep pace with Barcelona in the Liga title race—they are effectively out of the running as they are nine points back from the Blaugrana.
James failed to find his rhythm under former boss Rafael Benitez, and things have not improved since the appointment of Zidane in January.
He has also been involved in a number of off-field incidents—including a 125 mph police chase—and his poor attitude has reportedly irked Zidane, per Marca.
Real paid around €80m for James back in 2014, but even with his off the field issues, the 24-year-old midfielder will generate plenty of interest from Premier League clubs, with Chelsea, Man City and Manchester United all possible destinations.
Real Madrid are interested in Chelsea Eden Hazard to could a swap deal for James Rodriguez happen this summer? Meanwhile Manchester United have unsuccessfully spent the last three summers trying to sign a Real Madrid player. Is James Rodriguez the player that finally allows Ed Woodward to make a deal with the Spanish side?
Where do you think James Rodriguez will be playing next season?
