According to reports in Spain, Paris Saint-Germain have identified Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez as their top transfer target this summer.
The Colombian international has struggled to make an impact in the Spanish capital this season, failing to establish himself as an important part of either Rafael Benitez or Zinedine Zidane’s plans.
In turn, it is widely expected that he will leave the club this summer in a bid to get his career back on track, and according to AS, PSG have emerged as the most likely destination.
The Ligue 1 giants had been monitoring Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation in Madrid, but have become aware of the fact that he is closing in on a contract renewal, as noted by the Spanish media outlet.
In turn, Rodriguez has become a more realistic transfer prospect, although surprisingly, as noted in the report, the French champions are willing to spend more than the €80m that Madrid signed him from Monaco for in 2014.
Given his lack of playing time compared to previous years and his general struggles in Spain, it would naturally be assumed that his value would drop rather than increase, but it is evident that PSG rate him highly with President Nasser Al-Khelaifi understood to be a big admirer of his talents.
In fact, PSG were linked with a move for the former Monaco star in 2014 before losing out to Real, and with the good relations between his agent, Jorge Mendes, and the club, it is suggested by AS that a deal should be reached quite smoothly.
The report goes on to claim that Real have insisted that Rodriguez isn’t available for transfer, thus seemingly suggesting that he can put a difficult year behind him and become an important part of the club’s success in the coming years.
However, it will undoubtedly be difficult for the club to ignore such significant numbers being offered by PSG as they make their ambitious post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic plans.
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