Manchester United have been given a golden opportunity to sign Real Madrid wantaway James Rodriguez after AC Milan confirmed the end of their interest in the player, according to several reports.
The Colombia midfielder signed for Los Blancos after a fantastic display in 2014 World Cup, making him one of the hottest prospects on the planet. Madrid snapped up the attacking midfielder for £70million, a fee which looked to be a good investment after his first couple of seasons with the club. But the 25-year-old has been pushed back in the pecking order under Zinedine Zidane and it is widely reported that both parties support the idea of him moving on.
James began his career in the second division of Colombian football with Envigado before moving to Argentinian side Banfield in 2008. After two seasons in Argentina, James was picked up by Porto for £4.5million when he was just 21 years-old. The move to Porto was certainly a turning point in Rodriguez’s professional career, he went on to become one of the club’s stars – scoring 25 goals in just over 60 appearances. The midfielder clearly loved bagging a goal or two, and clubs began to circle for his signature.
In 2013 he joined free-spending Monaco for £40million. His tenure in France only lasted 1 season though as he scored 11 goals in 34 games, before setting the World Cup on fire in the summer and winning the tournament’s Golden Boot with 6 goals. This was all too much for Real Madrid to handle, as they fended off rival interest to complete the Colombian’s signing for a fee of £70million.
It has been a slight anti-climax for Rodriguez since. The midfielder once looked certain to become one of the best players in the world, but three years on from his amazing World Cup and subsequent move to Real Madrid, he has struggled to nail down a place in the Madrid side – more recently in the Champion’s League final not even making the squad.
Last season the 25 year-old started just 13 league games for Madrid, but with midfielders such as Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Isco, Casemiro, Mateo Kovacic and Marco Asensio to contend with, it is hardly surprising.. Or is it? Rodriguez still shows glimpses of the star we saw at the 2014 World Cup, and his record for Madrid isn’t all that bad either, with 28 goals in 77 appearances.
It was widely reported from a number of European media outlets that Manchester United have bid around €80million for the play-maker (£70m), but whether or not this holds any substance remains to be seen. A bid is said to be imminent though, and with Jorge Mendes being both Rodriguez and Mourinho’s agent, this could also be a factor in the transfer being put through.