Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez might not move to Liverpool in the summer according to reports.
The Colombian has found game time to be limited this season under Zinedine Zidane and has been tipped to move on at the end of the season. Liverpool were touted as one of the possible destinations but now, it looks like the saga might have taken a twist, with Real Madrid refusing to sell James Rodriguez to Liverpool.
The reason for Real’s reluctance is thought to be the prospect of Coutinho joining Barcelona from Liverpool in the event of James’ arrival at Anfield. The Madrid club fear that Liverpool might sell Coutinho to Barcelona and fund the move for James Rodriguez, which would weaken them and strengthen their bitter rivals.
Rodriguez has made just 24 appearances this season so far and has scored 5 goals and 12 assists in 1316 minutes on the pitch. Coutinho, on the other hand, has 9 goals and 8 assists to his name and has made 29 appearances despite spending significant time on the sidelines due to injuries.
Statistically, both the players are almost on the same level and James would be a great replacement for Coutinho. However, the Brazilian seems to be well settled under Jurgen Klopp and the style of play at Anfield, hence it would be a huge gamble from Liverpool to let him leave.
Though the £65m rated attacker is a great player, there is no certainty if he would settle down well in England.
Liverpool would surely be looking to bolster their attack after an inconsistent season that saw them drop out of the title race. They are in a good position to finish in the top-4 and the focus right now would be on that. However, when the season ends, Klopp has to sort things out and try to get some quality players at Anfield.
Surely, James will not come for cheap and so Liverpool will have to fork out a big sum to land the Real Madrid star. But if they convince Real Madrid that they will not let Coutinho leave the club even in the presence of James Rodriguez in the team, then there is a very good possibility of Real agreeing to do business with the Reds.
