Liverpool appear to be keen on signing Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez, who is reportedly unhappy at the Spanish club even with his recent round of first-team action. The Colombian was signed for a hefty £71 million only in 2014.
While he was a regular feature in the first team under Carlo Ancelotti, it has not been the case in the regime of Zinedine Zidane. The immense success achieved by the Frenchman in his short reign as a manager has also resulted in Rodriguez, who was reportedly a signing of president Florentino Perez receiving much less first-team action.
The Merseyside outfit are reportedly ready to take advantage of the situation by making him as one of the marquee signings in the summer. Rodriguez has already been linked with a few Premier League outfits in the last few months with Chelsea being credited with the biggest interest.
However, the interest from the Blues appears to have cooled off in recent weeks. Even though there remains a possibility of Real Madrid being interested in a swap deal with Chelsea involving James Rodriguez and Eden Hazard, Liverpool are growing in confidence with regard to their ability to sign the 25-year-old Colombian.
Rodriguez has featured in only 14 league games this season. He has tried to make an impression in the first team by scoring two goals and creating five for his teammates. The 25-year-old had registered two assists and scored one goal in his last three matches. Yet, he was relegated back to the bench for the game against Athletic Bilbao during the weekend, as Gareth Bale returned to the first-team action along with the likes of Karim Benzema.
Despite his lack of first-team opportunities, Rodriguez is unlikely to come cheap. Real Madrid will certainly demand a hefty transfer fee – looking to recoup much of the £71 million outlay – in order to let Rodriguez leave the club. Allowing such a quality player to leave the club at the time when Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-term future at the club is also under doubt will play on the minds of Perez. Yet, Liverpool believe that they have one hand on the £185,000-a-week Colombian attacker.
This would make Rodriguez as the best-paid Liverpool player by a significant margin.The signing of Rodriguez would significantly strengthen the Liverpool forward line up, which is likely to see Daniel Sturridge leave the club in the summer.
