Atletico Madrid are eyeing a move for Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez who returned to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer after a two-year loan with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
According to a report from the Independent, Los Rojiblancos’ managing director, Gil Marin, highlighted Atleti’s interest in signing the Colombian International with Serie A side Napoli the frontrunners to attain the services of the 28-year-old.
He also mentioned that many inside the club including the head coach Diego Simeone is keen on the left-footed attacking midfielder and any sort of deal totally hinges on the Galacticos president Florentino Perez.
Should Real sell?
Things change on an hourly basis and have a tendency to move quickly in the world of football, especially during the transfer window given all the ‘Fax machines’ are in order *Ba Dum tssss*
This has largely been the story with Rodriguez who returned from his loan spell knowing he would be sold to another club in the summer after former manager Zinedine Zidane returned to the capital club in March.
The pair don’t seem to enjoy a healthy relationship, and the French manager was one of the sole reasons the Colombian midfielder went out on loan in the first place.
The deal in itself was weird seeing a 26-year-old at the peak of his powers going on a two-year loan from one European giant to another. When one comes to think about it, it’s very difficult to pick out similar scenarios in the past.
Further new arrivals of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Rodrygo Goes meant the percentage of the former Monaco man continuing at Santiago Bernabeu dropped significantly.
However, things have taken a U-turn with recent developments around the club.
The situation encircling Gareth Bale, Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio might just work out in the Colombian’s favour after all.
The Welsh International is another one who seems to have a torrid relationship with Zidane and has been the centre of attention when it comes to Madrid’s departures with the club keen on offloading the 30-year-old who is eating a large chunk of their wage bill.
Ceballos has already moved to Arsenal on a year-long loan deal in search of more playing time while Asensio suffered a horrific ACL injury against Arsenal in the International Champions Cup which is likely to keep him on the sidelines until March 2020.
With three players out of action and potential suitors unwilling to meet his asking price, the demand for Rodriguez’ services at Bernabeu has taken a significant rise over the last couple of days.
All in all, it might be wise to keep an experienced player in the dressing room given that the manager and the player can work out their differences ahead of the new campaign.