Manchester United have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to land James Rodriguez from Real Madrid in the summer.
Reliable Colombian radio station RCN Radio have reported that Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez already has a pre-agreement with Manchester United to make the switch to Old Trafford from Santiago Bernabeu in the summer transfer window.
James has endured a torrid time at Real Madrid ever since Zinedine Zidane took charge at Santiago Bernabeu midway through the 2015/16 campaign. The Colombian midfielder seemed to have fallen out of favour with Los Blancos manager, and down the pecking order.
The numbers tell a grim tale for James, who has managed to start just 18 games across all competitions this season, in addition to making a further 12 appearances from the bench. And despite his playing time being restricted so heavily, the player has a respectable return of 11 goals and 13 assists to show for his efforts.
As the weeks have passed, James has cut an increasingly frustrated figure and, in all likelihood, the player will leave Real Madrid in the summer to ply his trade elsewhere. And when the transfer window eventually opens in June, he will have no shortage of suitors vying for his signature.
In fact, the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich have all been linked with James in recent months. But, Manchester United seem to have raced clear in the chase for the Colombia international, as they have a deal in place to sign him in the summer transfer window.
It is believed that Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho is eager to bolster his attacking options in order to mount a sustainable challenge for all four competitions next season. James will bring a lot of proven quality to the Manchester United squad with the dangerous positions that he takes up in the final third.
More importantly, James, with his dangerous eye for goal, will add a lot of them to a side that has often struggled to find the back of the net this term. The report, though, goes on to indicate that the Colombian’s arrival at Old Trafford is subject to the departure of Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney.
That might not be a big concern for the Red Devils, with speculation being rife that the current season will be Rooney’s last in a Manchester United shirt, having evidently become surplus to requirements for Jose Mourinho.
James still has more than three years left to run on his current deal with Real Madrid, and he is likely to command a sizable fee. It now remains to be seen if the report indeed turns out to be true, as the Colombian seems to have taken another step towards making a summer switch to Old Trafford.
