James Rodriguez’s future with Real Madrid remains in limbo
By Ben Sundock
After spending two seasons on loan with Bayern Munich, many Real Madrid fans are excited to see the return of James Rodriguez this fall. However, the club has yet to decide if they want him back or want to sell him, leaving his status for the upcoming season in limbo.
James played a crucial role in Colombia’s 2-0 win over Argentina in the opening group stage match of the Copa America on Saturday night and was quickly asked by the press gathered at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Brazil what his future with Real Madrid looks like.
“I really don’t know anything yet,” James told the press with a quick smile. He brushed off the question to focus more on the match itself, saying, “We played well. We were very solid. It was a very physical game and it’s a good day for all Colombians.”
The reason behind the lack of communication from president Florentino Perez is likely because of how busy he has been in the transfer market thus far. The 13-time European champions have six new players coming in, and several others returning from loan.
Rodriguez had a very up and down loan stint with the Bavarian club making 67 appearances and scoring 15 goals while also providing 20 assists. Bayern and James Rodriguez mutually decided not to make his time loan stint a permanent move, so as of today, the Colombian doesn’t technically have a club right now.
Although he is still owned by Real Madrid, members of the media and fans of the club look at James as an expendable piece to fund this crazy expensive transfer window. Former Real manager Carlo Ancelotti has voiced his interest in bringing the 27-year-old to Napoli, and apparently, the deal is progressing nicely.
Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo have also said they want to bring in the prolific midfielder, but Real Madrid still holds the keys to James’ future in club football.
Personally, I think bringing James back would be great for the depth of the midfield and with the likes of Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard on the front line now, he would rack up a ton of assists and be vital on the attack.
On the other hand, manager Zinedine Zidane and Rodriguez have a weird relationship it seems and the two didn’t see eye-to-eye in the La Liga winning campaign a couple years ago.
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The club still has a month or so to decide what they want to do and if they do end up pursuing Paul Pogba, James will likely be sold to recoup some funds. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.
Don’t expect to hear a decision on James Rodriguez’s future with Real Madrid until after the Copa America.