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Transfers
Does James Rodriguez’s Champions League final exile indicate a move to Manchester United?
All seems well at Real Madrid currently. The Spanish side have claimed the biggest trophy in Europe for the second consecutive season while the Los Blancos also beat rivals Barcelona to the La Liga title.
The celebrations on Saturday night were scenes of happiness and jubilation and yet, within the crowd of superstars, there is potentially one very unhappy Colombian.
James Rodriguez, who joined Real Madrid after a stellar World Cup in 2014, was left out of Zinedine Zidane’s entire Champions League squad. The former Monaco man was forced to watch his team stroll to a 4-1 victory over Juventus from the sidelines while players like Gareth Bale, who was returning from a lengthy injury, featured in the win.
The Colombian has long been linked to Manchester United and after his Champions League squad exile, have reported that Rodriguez will now leave Real Madrid.
Having arrived for £70 million in 2014, it’s unlikely that the La Liga winners will recoup their initial investment, but if Rodriguez was to move, he would cost around £50 million.
Manchester United have been the key party linked. However, Juventus and Bayern Munich are interested, while AC Milan, who are flexing their financial power this summer, are keen on the Colombian, according to .
Rodriguez is a superstar and would certainly be welcomed into all of the mentioned squads and, as Florentino Perez told , “All the players are extraordinary but there are always some sacrificed”, a transfer could be imminent.
The 25-year-old has struggled for game-time all season under Zinedine Zidane, who has so many big names to fit into his side. When Bale got injured, an opportunity arose for one of either Isco or Rodriguez. Unfortunately for the latter, it was the former who took his chance and went on to become a key figure for Madrid as the season came to an end.
Rodriguez, therefore, only featured 22 times in the league, finding the back of the net on eight occasions, which isn’t a poor return for an attacking midfielder. In terms of his chance creation, the Colombian was Madrid’s second most productive player, having set up 44 opportunities – only to be bettered by Toni Kroos, who made 80 chances.
From a stats perspective, Rodriguez would appear a key player for Madrid, the centre of their chance creation, but this hasn’t been the story in reality. He hasn’t been as impressive as Isco this season and seems to lack a fundamental connection to the Spanish outfit, as if he is there for his own status, as opposed to a love of the club.
Therefore, he is the superstar that is most likely to be sacrificed this summer, and with a cash-ready Manchester United waiting, Rodriguez could be a marquee Premier League signing come the end of the transfer window.
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