Liverpool have been given a major boost in the race for Colombian international James Rodriguez, after Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claimed that the striker would cost only around €35 million. Signed for an astronomical £63 million only a couple of years ago, Rodriguez has failed to settle at the Santiago Bernabeu. His first-team appearances have been especially limited since the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as the new manager. The successes achieved by the Frenchman in his short spell have been with the likes of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack.
“Real Madrid want to sell him and about €35m would do it., says Balague.
“All the options remain on the table – Manchester United and Liverpool want him – but I just think United have the edge if it comes down to those two clubs. Jorge Mendes is his agent.
“But Italy is an option too. The only guaranteed thing at this stage is Real Madrid want him to go and he is considering his options.”
Manchester United and Liverpool are seen as the biggest competitors for Rodriguez’ signature. But the Colombian captain will represent a huge signing for Liverpool. He is expected to eclipse Philippe Coutinho as the most expensive player in terms of wages. The Brazilian is currently on a contract with £150,000 per week, but Rodriguez is expected to demand much more than that.
United will have no trouble in meeting this figure, while the same cannot be said of Liverpool. Yet, Rodriguez is likely to choose Liverpool considering that he will have more opportunities to be a regular first-team player. However, his suitability to the way the Reds operate with their heavy metal approach remains a question.
One of the few aspects why United would remain favourites to sign the player is that Jose Mourinho and Rodriguez have the same agent – Jorge Mendes. The relationship with agents was a key factor in bringing Paul Pogba to the club for a whopping £89 million in the summer. Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola is also an influential figure in the sport and well-connected with Manchester United.
Balague is well-connected amongst the top Spanish teams – Real Madrid and Barcelona. After having previously had predicted several transfers, he has claimed that Rodriguez will be coming at a substantial discount. It was initially thought that Madrid would not be ready to sell the player for anything less than £60 million, as it would represent a great loss for the club. Now, however, Zidane is very keen on letting the unhappy player leave the club. Hence, they may be ready to accept a fee even in the region of €35 million in order to complete the deal.
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