Chelsea Set To Make A Bumper Offer For Real’s James Rodriguez
REUTERS/Juan Medina
Premier League champions Chelsea are set to make a big money offer for Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder James Rodriguez. The Blues are willing to offer £53m for the Colombian.
According to Spanish publication Don Balon, Antonio Conte’s side are interested in the Colombian, who wants an exit from Santiago Bernabeu in order to play regular football with an eye for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Blues want to bolster their attacking options, and view Rodriguez as a key addition.
The reigning Champions League winners value Rodriguez at £53m, and reports state that the London-based outfit is planning to go all the way to secure the player’s services. The playmaker has been linked with a move to Manchester United, but Chelsea want to surge ahead and pip their rivals for his signature.
Further reports also claim that Chelsea could find it tough to land the Colombian despite an offer, as he prefers a move to Jose Mourinho’s side. The star’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who also handles Mourinho, is trying to get his clients to strike a deal this summer.
Meanwhile, Jose is keen to add more firepower to his attacking quartet, and had identified Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic as a target. But the Italian side’s demands regarding a fee for the 28-year-old saw the deal get stalled, and Jose was left fuming, with the club set to leave for the United States for their summer tour this weekend.
United could be tempted to go in for Rodriguez instead, but it will be interesting to see whether they actually go at all for the 26-year-old.
Real’s hardball stance regarding the fee for forward Alvaro Morata led the Red Devils turn towards Romelu Lukaku instead, as any hope for Morata ended. The Old Trafford hierarchy is understood not to be in favour of making any deals with Real over recent issues through the years.
Written by Rajdeep Saha 
Sports journalist with stints across print, digital and television. Contribution to each medium has been thrilling. Experienced in writing for this passionate game called football. Journalist by choice and passion.