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James Rodriguez’s return to Real Madrid is more complicated than you may think

By Ben Sundock

Bayern Munich's Colombian James Rodriguez attends the warm up prior the German first division Bundesliga football match BVB Borussia Dortmund v FC Bayern Munich in Dortmund, western Germany, on November 10, 2018. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's Colombian James Rodriguez attends the warm up prior the German first division Bundesliga football match BVB Borussia Dortmund v FC Bayern Munich in Dortmund, western Germany, on November 10, 2018. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Talented midfielder James Rodriguez is nearing the end of his two-year loan stint with Bayern Munich and is set to return to Real Madrid as soon as January. However, his return to the Spanish capital is not as simple as it may seem.

Now that Zinedine Zidane is no longer the manager, James Rodriguez feels that this is the perfect time for him to return to Madrid and leave his mark on the club. James has grown tired of Bayern Munich and new manager Niko Kovac after not receiving the playing time he thinks he deserves.

The Colombian has featured in eight of the eleven Bundesliga matches this season for Bayern, scoring three goals and averaging a match rating of 6.90 according to WhoScored.

Even though he is technically a Real Madrid player, bringing the talented player back will not be as simple as it may seem on the surface. There are three issues which could prevent Los Blancos from bringing him back to Spain.

First, and maybe the most pressing issue, is the players that are already with the club and will compete with James at the same position. Both Marco Asensio and Isco have been a staple in the lineup while Rodriguez has been on loan and it could be difficult for all three to get equal playing time.

James struggled to receive minutes under Zidane in the 2016/2017 season because of the breakout play of Isco and was relegated to the “B-team” or a super substitute in big matches.

The second issue which could delay this deal is the terms between Bayern and Real Madrid. The Bavarians have the option to make the move permanent for €37 million, which would then force Real to outbid them for the player, paying his market value.

This could lead to Real Madrid withdrawing its interest in James because of the steep price.

The third and final problem with this deal is James’ health. Unfortunately, the midfielder suffered a partial LCL tear just a couple weeks back after the loss to Borussia Dortmund and will miss at least a month.

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I would be all for James making a return, but if president Florentino Perez has to decide between letting him stay at Bayern Munich permanently and paying his market value, I would have to say, let him go.

With the young players already in the club and James getting up there in age, it might be time to part ways.

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