Chelsea have reportedly had a loan bid for Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez rejected, with the La Liga giants preferring a permanent deal.
It’s been a slow summer for Antonio Conte in the transfer market, with the Italian tactician having only brought in N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi thus far.
Although it hasn’t slowed his team down as they have picked up three wins in as many games to start the Premier League campaign, it’s felt that more reinforcements will be needed to sustain their push.
According to The Mirror, they’ve had an ambitious offer to loan Rodriguez for the season turned down, with the Colombian international likely to be available to buy outright this summer as he continues to struggle for playing time at the Bernabeu.
It’s added in the report that the former Monaco ace would be open to a move to the Premier League, and it would bring an end to a disappointing spell in Spain after he moved to the capital in 2014.
While he has struggled with his own form and distractions off the pitch, competition for places has been fierce at Real with Rodriguez down the pecking order behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.
In turn, it would make sense for him to move on as it’s a shame to see his talent go to waste on the Real bench, despite coach Zinedine Zidane insisting that he would like him to remain at the club.
Chelsea will need to prioritise bringing in a defender this week as they are worryingly short in that department, particularly in terms of central options. However, if they are set on bolstering their attacking options too, it appears as though Rodriguez is top of their list to add to the squad at Stamford Bridge before the deadline.