When Real Madrid want a player, it doesn’t matter whether they need the said player or not, they often end up getting him. This has happened over and over again. They have the money and they can mount a charm offensive that makes it almost impossible for players to turn them down.
Unfortunately for these players, Real Madrid only use them for marketing purposes most of the time. And once they have milked them commercially and sometimes on the field of play, they declare them surplus to require and force them out. Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria come to mind.
The same thing is about to play out with Colombian star James Rodriguez. The former Monaco and Porto star’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu is still undecided, after being left on the substitute bench continuously by Real manager Zinedane Zidane in the last campaign.
Spanish newspaper Marca is reporting that the reigning European club champions Real Madrid have placed on Rodriguez’s head an €80m price tag. Ridiculous, eh? They, in my opinion, bought him for well over his market value in the first place too.
According to Marca, the chances of the Colombian departing the Bernabeu are becoming higher by the day, and English Premier League club Manchester United are in pole position to secure his signature. This is despite the fact that the Red Devils are said to be working on signing Paul Pogba from Juventus.
This is not the first time James Rodriguez has been linked to Manchester United. Before he joined Monaco in 2013, he was linked with a move to Old Trafford and ever since he joined Real Madrid, there has always been one rumour or another linking the player with a move to Manchester United amongst other Premier League clubs.
West Ham recently were said to have entered the race for the signature of the South American, but we all know the Hammers, no disrespect to their fans, have little to no chance of signing the Colombian especially with the big guns interested.
And in my opinion, if Manchester United succeed in their attempt to sign Paul Pogba, which is looking more likely all the time, they will have no need for James. Of course, the two players don’t play in the same position but with the signing of Mkhitaryan, signing James for €80m will be a luxury United and Jose Mourinho can do without. That is especially so, if you consider the fact that despite having so much money to spend, they still need to ensure all the players are kept happy.
If I am to make a guess of where he will end up, I will say Chelsea. Especially if Real Madrid come in for Eden Hazard. Maybe a swap deal between Los Blancos and the Blues?
