Manchester United have dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of the Real Madrid star James Rodriguez after it has emerged that the player’s agent was pictured with Tianjin Quanjian president Shu Yuhiu – according to the reports from the Daily Mirror.
The Colombian superstar has been struggling for first-team opportunities at the Spanish club. Despite being a £ 75 million acquisition, manager Zinedine Zidane has refused to use the player as a first-team regular. This has led to numerous transfer rumours with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United over the last few weeks.
Even if Rodriguez does not leave the Santiago Bernabeu in this January transfer window, he may very well switch clubs in the summer. Madrid are not expected to let the player leave on a cheap and could demand around £70 million for his signature. It is proving to be a major stumbling block for many other clubs interested in his signature. Only the likes of Chelsea, rich from the cash secured from the sale of Oscar, and Manchester United are likely contenders in European football at the moment.
Just when it seemed that there may not be any offers from outside European football as clubs are simply not financially going to compete at this price range, it has emerged that Jorge Mendes has met with Tianjin Quanjian president. The meeting may involve several other players, as the Portuguese super-agent has a huge portfolio of top players under his list. However, it is highly likely that Rodriguez may be on the agenda considering that the 25-year-old is the big-name player angling for a move at the moment.
Chinese clubs have been splashing the cash on an extraordinary scale in the last month. After signing Oscar for £60 million and on a weekly wages of £400,000 per week, they recently brought in Carlos Tevez for a much lower transfer fee. However, the Argentine striker has now become the world’s most paid player with wages of around £620,000 a week. After being linked with several other European big names like Diego Costa, who has reportedly been offered a £30 million per year in wages, the Chinese clubs seem to have switched their attention towards players in Spain.
Rodriguez will feel extremely comfortable playing in the Chinese Super League considering that there are already a number of South American-based players in this division. Money could be a huge motivating factor, although not at 25 years of age. At this time, a highly talented player like Rodriguez should be looking to win more trophies under his belt. Even at this age, Rodriguez has already lifted the Champions League, Europa League, and the FIFA Club World Cup. Yet, major trophies like the La Liga are still not secured.
