Chelsea Emerge As The New Favorites To Land James Rodriguez
REUTERS/Miguel Vidal
The never ending James Rodriguez transfer saga has taken a new turn, as Chelsea now look to be in pole position to sign the Real Madrid player.
Antonio Conte has made the Colombian playmaker his no. 1 target after missing out on Alvaro Morata, who appears to be heading to Manchester United. James now looks set to join Chelsea ahead of clubs like United, Inter Milan, PSG, and Arsenal, who have all been linked with the player.
According to AS, Real Madrid have indicated that they won’t accept any bid below £70m for a player who cost them £71m after the world cup in 2014. Inter Milan have already had their £37m bid rejected for James, and the Italian giants now look to sit out the competition due to the steep valuation of the player.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are ready to break the bank to bring in the talented attacking midfielder at Stamford Bridge. Conte, even after winning the league in his first season with the London based club, is looking for a clear-out, with prominent figures like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas heading for the exit door.
The Italian boss has a number of targets to fill the void that will be left following the expected departures during the transfer window, but James Rodriguez is seen as a crucial part of any rebuilding that would take place at Chelsea in the summer.
James is interested in a move to the Blues, however, he has asked for a key role in the squad – something he craved at Real Madrid last season, but couldn’t get.
Written by Shorya Panwar 
Has 20+ years of experience managing Schalke in Football Manager 2017. Believes wing-backs are the most complete footballers in the modern/evolved football. Writes weird stuff on his personal blog.