Real Madrid to sell Isco for €80 M instead of Napoli target James, Inter bid €80 M plus bonuses for Liverpool target Nicolas Pepe and more, 18 July 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are many exciting stories from the rumour mill to read. So, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian top flight.
Real Madrid to sell Isco for €80 million instead of Napoli target James Rodriguez
The Colombian star's future remains uncertain since the player left Bayern Munich a month ago. Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane does not apparently want to include the player in his plan. The Los Blancos bought the former Monaco star for a record fee, but the player has gradually fallen out of favour since.
Napoli have revealed that they are interested in the 28-year-old. However, the club's president Aurelio de Laurentiis has been infuriated with Real Madrid's demands. The Los Blancos reportedly want to sell the player for €42 million. However, Napoli want to sign the player on loan with an option to buy.
James Rodriguez had worked together with Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid and Bayern. He was able to earn consistent game time under the Italian manager. Surprisingly, a recent report states that Real Madrid could keep the unfortunate Colombian if the club are able to sell Isco.
The Los Blancos are reportedly ready to offload the former Malaga star as long as they receive an offer of €80 million. Thus, Madrid would need to keep James Rodriguez to ensure that their midfield options are not too limited after Isco departs.
The Spanish midfielder barely earned game time under Santiago Solari. Zinedine Zidane's second appointment did offer fresh hope for him to remain at Madrid. Unfortunately, Isco has still failed to impress, as he was unable to register an assist or a goal in his last 8 games for the club.