Real Madrid: James Rodriguez to Lazio is an interesting possibility
Lazio have already shown interest in one Real Madrid attacker, Borja Mayoral, and they are now being linked to James Rodriguez.
Real Madrid have two players they want to prioritize selling this summer, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale. The former will be easier to sell than the latter, since James is on lower wages (though they are still hefty) and was more effective when healthy in 2019-2020. James simply needs to move to a place where the manager actually has him in his plans.
Most of the teams linked to the Colombian playmaker are in the Premier League. Manchester United has been most frequently mentioned, but it’s admittedly hard seeing him being a regular for the Red Devils.
However, a team in Serie A could give James plenty of room to roam. Lazio missed out on David Silva, who joined La Liga’s Real Sociedad on a free transfer from Manchester City, ending his legendary run in the Premier League.
According to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Lazio have James Rodriguez at the top of their wishlist among attacking midfielders after missing out on David Silva.
Can Lazio afford James Rodriguez?
But there’s a catch, which isn’t a surprise to anyone familiar with the difficulties of transferring James. Lazio can’t pay James’ full salary. It will be difficult for them to afford the transfer. And as Gazzetta notes, unlike Silva, Lazio would have to send a transfer fee to Real Madrid.
Los Blancos will have to adjust their expectations for a James transfer. While Transfermarkt may list the 29-year-old as being worth 32 million euros, it’s entirely possible Real Madrid won’t be able to get much more than half of that fee.
Lazio wouldn’t be the biggest club for a player of James’ name value and a Jorge Mendes client, as the superagent has seemingly been targeting a United or even PSG move. But Lazio are no joke. They are headed to the Champions League next season after giving Juventus a real challenge for the Scudetto. Lazio have a great striker in Ciro Immobile and two top-notch midfielders in Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
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James Rodriguez could be a fantastic fit for Lazio and a star in Serie A. But there are two issues for Real Madrid and Lazio. Firstly, the issue of James wanting to play for the club. And then secondly, the issue of Real lowering their price so that the Rome-based club can afford him.