James Rodriguez looks set to end his time with Real Madrid but could be staying in the city as reports say he is set for a transfer to Atlético Madrid.
Atletico Madrid have reportedly agreed a fee of just €15m with rivals Real Madrid for James Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/fjU9UnP2bc
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) August 5, 2020
Spanish outlet “El Golazo de Gol” reported that the Colombian midfielder’s transfer could be as low as €10-15 million (about $12-18 million). In 2019, we here at The18 speculated James’ next transfer fee would be considerably lower than his nearly $80 million fee to Los Blancos in 2014. We didn’t think it would be this low.
James has fallen out of Zinedine Zidane’s favor almost (if not) harder than Gareth Bale. After completing a relatively successful two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich, James returned to Madrid for the 2019-20 season to make a measly eight league appearances.
Staying at Real Madrid would be a horrible move for the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner. Despite James in desperate need of a transfer, Atleti president Enrique Cerezo said he doesn’t have any knowledge of James joining the club.
“I have no idea whether he will end up coming,” Cerezo said in a strong statement. “I don’t think he is in Atlético Madrid’s plans.”
If the move to Atletico doesn’t pan out, Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain has also shown interest in the Colombian.
The buzz around James despite his recent failing to impress with Real Madrid shows the impact a World Cup can have on a player’s career. The power of the World Cup is as mystifying as it is intangible. A player putting in a quality performance on the world’s largest stage transcends any accomplishments at the club level. James is the perfect example.
Any fan of the sport with basic knowledge of players will hear the name ‘James Rodriguez’ and immediately remember the young Colombian tearing teams to shreds in Brazil. Also, how could anyone forget this goal?
