Chelsea have seemingly seen their chances of signing Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez end after the Colombian insisted he was staying at the Bernabeu.
It came after Zinedine Zidane gave him a rare chance to impress in his starting line-up, with Rodriguez responding with two goals in his side’s 3-0 win over Sevilla in Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
Given his troubles since his move from Monaco in 2014, it would have come as a major relief for the 25-year-old to get the chance to start the year in positive fashion, and he certainly delivered with his first goal standing out in particular.
Whether or not it leads to a run in the team moving forward remains to be seen, but it appears as though he’s eager to stick it out in the Spanish capital and continue to fight for his place rather than quit and move on in his search for regular football.
“I just want to play well when I get the chance, to be able to do good things like today, and to be able to help by scoring goals or giving assists,” he’s quoted as saying by AS. “That is what everybody wants. Obviously everyone in the team always wants to play, we all go through bad moments, and now it is a new year and a new life.
“I am staying, I am staying.”
As noted by ESPN FC, both Chelsea and Inter had been linked with a move for the creative playmaker, as they had hoped to take advantage of his situation in the Spanish capital and try to sign him for a lesser fee.
However, given his desire to stay, his return to form and the apparent openness from Zidane to give him a chance to be an influential figure for Real, not only does it look as though Rodriguez will be staying with Los Blancos, but his price-tag will certainly be on the rise with more performances like the one seen this week which will lead to frustration for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte as he looks to bolster his squad.