EPL 2016-17 Transfer Rumours: Arsenal and Chelsea to battle for Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez

 

Time to leave Madrid?

James Rodriguez has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid yet again. The Colombian has been reportedly put on the transfer list by the Los Blancos.

Zinedine Zidane has already confirmed that he prefers Isco, Modric, and Asensio in the midfield position ahead of James Rodriguez. And when Real Madrid are at full strength it will be even more difficult for the midfielder to squeeze in. James knows about this but has still insisted that he would like to remain at the club and fight for the position.

James Rodriguez played just 13 minutes in Real Madrid’s La Liga season opener at Real Sociedad on Sunday. This, despite not having Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the starting XI. 

Isco too was benched by the Frenchman but he’s said to have been carrying a knock from training. James Rodriquez was linked to leave Madrid this summer but he revealed his desire to stay and fight for his position. 

But now with Asensio being picked ahead of him, Rodriguez might just have to look for a move away. The former AS Monaco star is not short on options with at least 3 clubs interested in signing him.

Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with James Rodriguez throughout this transfer window, and both clubs are said to be willing to pay a huge sum of money to bring him into the Premier League.

Juventus are said to be the one other club who have expressed their interest in signing the Colombian. The Serie A champions have a lot of money to spend this summer following the sale of Paul Pogba to Manchester United for a World record fee of £89 million.

The extent to how much Antonio Conte or Arsene Wenger would like to spend on signing James Rodriguez is the question. Real Madrid are looking to recoup as much as they can of the €80 million they spent on getting him from AS Monaco.

Chelsea and Arsenal are looking out for a striker and James Rodriguez is not a top priority for both the clubs. The clubs are in talks for other options and might opt out of the move for the Real Madrid midfielder if the La Liga giants demand a lot of money for him.

Spanish publication, AS are now reporting that Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina is trying to convince James to join the Gunners. Rodriguez is Ospina’s brother-in-law as he’s married to Ospina’s sister, Daniela Ospina.