La Liga expert Guillem Balague believes that James Rodriguez is still a viable target for Liverpool ahead of the summer transfer window. The Merseyside club had been linked with a £43million move for the Real Madrid star in the month of March but there weren’t any concrete links coming out from either side.

Balague, while speaking to Sky Sports, did state that Liverpool are one of the several clubs looking to add Rodriguez to their ranks next season.

“Of course they are [interested in Rodriguez], but they aren’t the only one,” he explained.

“Liverpool are realistic and I think they realise James is looking for a different type of team.

“But he is leaving the door open to all possibilities because he knows Real Madrid want to get rid of him.”

The La Liga expert further added that a couple of other Premier League clubs are looking at Rodriguez.

“He would like to go to a club like Chelsea or Manchester United and he has offers from England and Italy but we will have to wait and see.”

Rodriguez has fallen out of favour at Madrid and it is no surprise that he wants to play regular football. Moving to another club will help but if Liverpool want to sign the former Monaco attacker up, they will have to pay a lot as Real had only signed Rodriguez for £63 million in 2014.

The Colombian also has a contract with the La Liga giants till 2020 and Real will be looking to get as much money as they can for the 25-year-old. Rodriguez can play in a number of positions and could be a great option for Liverpool to have next summer.

The Kop Times Verdict

The only problem lies with the fact that Rodriguez isn’t known for his defensive contribution and with Jurgen Klopp wanting to get players that fit into his high-pressing system, the Real Madrid star isn’t the right candidate for the Reds.

The fact that a bidding war would ensue for the signature of Rodriguez doesn’t look good for Liverpool and the Reds might miss out on this target as well.