Real Madrid appear to be giving up on the possibility of James Rodriguez staying at the Santiago Bernabeu beyond the summer. The Colombian international is not happy with the lack of regular first-team action under the regime of Zinedine Zidane. As a huge favourite of president Florentino Perez, Zidane is unlikely to be sacked any time soon even if results turn sour. At the moment, the club are looking on course to winning the domestic league and the retaining the Champions League.

Rodriguez is clearly losing the race to stay at Madrid, and Anfield is being touted be his next destination amid serious interests from Liverpool. The Reds are in the market for attacking reinforcements and see the Colombian captain as a viable option in the summer.

Madrid manager Zidane is resigned to losing Rodriguez to Liverpool, but he is prepared to take a Liverpool player in exchange – Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian only recently signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League outfit. This contract is reportedly worth around £150,000 per week – a shadow of the figure earned by Madrid superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

It is clear that Real Madrid are after a marquee signing in the summer. The club are aware that Cristiano Ronaldo is getting older and that he may not be able to keep up at the same pace in the next couple of years. Gareth Bale’s move to the Spanish capital has not worked out as expected, despite the player becoming prolific in terms of trophies. Bale has not scored the goals required from an £85 million player. While Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, the club are aware that it would take an astronomical sum of money in order to entice the Belgian to Madrid.

Coutinho was signed from Inter Milan for just £8.5 million, but he has become one of the best players in the Premier league in the space of a few years. He has been able to carry the Liverpool team all by himself on many occasions. His new long-term contract means that Liverpool are in a strong position to negotiate any transfer, but it remains to be seen if they would be willing to consider a swap deal.

At 24, Coutinho is nearing the peak of his career and is valued in excess of £60 million by Liverpool, but both clubs would not have to exchange funds largely because Rodriguez is also valued in a similar range by Madrid. Only a few years ago, Rodriguez was signed from Monaco for £63 million, thus making him one of the most expensive players in the world.