Real Madrid center attacking midfielder James Rodriguez was previously linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, but now it seems like a transfer to Los Blancos’ crosstown rivals could actually happen.
Along with Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez is a high-priced, big-name player Real Madrid will be keen to move in the summer 2020 transfer window in order to recoup funds and clear space for an upgrade at a more pressing position,
Whereas Real won’t be as desperate to sell James as they are Bale, they would ideally like to transfer him this summer in order to obtain some sort of compensation. James is a talented player who can star for several clubs around Europe, and this is the only time to sell him with one year left on his contract.
According to a report from Javier Hernandez Bonnet on Blu Radio, via AS, James is close to joining Real’s bitter rivals Atletico Madrid. Los Rojiblancos had previously been linked with James, but few fans took those rumors seriously. Now, however, Hernandez reports that the teams are in “advanced” talks and that James is “80 percent” done with a transfer.
The Colombian playmaker wants to stay in the city of Madrid and appears to like what he sees in Diego Simeone‘s club. Last season, James showed that when he’s healthy, he is still one of the best passers in the final third in all of European football.
A creative genius who has scored some wonderful goals at Real Madrid, the 28-year-old was also effective at Bayern Munich before Niko Kovac ran him out after a two-year loan deal with Die Roten. Now, James is ready for his next challenge. He could be the missing piece to get the most out of Atletico’s talented strikers Diego Costa and Joao Felix, who both severely underperformed in a poor 2019-2020 season for Simeone’s side.
It will be tough to see James playing for Atletico, but hopefully he is happy with his future if this deal is completed.