Sidney Sladen
Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow in the pursuit of Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez as reports have emerged stating that the Colombian star is close to joining Inter Milan. Manchester United have long been linked with a move for James Rodriguez and it was even reported that the club were set to announce the signing of the Real Madrid star.
Sportitalia, however, claims that Inter are on the verge of sealing the transfer and will finalise details on the deal after Real’s Champions League final.
Real face Juventus on June 3 and the report claims that Rodriguez is determined to leave Spain due to lack of playing time. Zinedine Zidane has placed his faith in other Real stars this season with reports his relationship with Rodriguez has soured in the last few months.
Rodriguez made just 13 La Liga starts this season and 33 appearances in total across all competitions. Despite the lack of starts, Rodriguez has still managed to score 11 goals and provide 13 assists in those 33 games. Real paid £71million to sign Rodriguez in 2014 after the 25-year-old shined with Colombia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Though James Rodriguez is not the only star player linked with Manchester United, losing him is indeed a blow as he is an extremely talented young player. Players of James’ quality don’t come up on the market often and it was a good chance to sign him considering that he wouldn’t cost as much as his original price that Madrid paid in 2014 to sign him.
The Colombian would surely have improved the Manchester United squad massively. Now that United appear set to lose out on James, Jose can probably pursue his other targets. It wouldn’t be without a backup plan that Manchester United would have gone in pursuit of James Rodriguez.
With a host of big names being linked with United, it seems like Jose Mourinho has big plans this summer. The victory in the Europa League final is certainly a massive boost and United can look to build on that big victory. For us to do that, signing some big names will be important. Apart from the new arrivals, it would also be essential to sort out the futures of some of the players at the club. Replacing them would be essential if they decide to leave and that could mean more business.
Do you think losing the race for James Rodriguez is a blow?
