Real Madrid loanee could join Barcelona in audacious transfer swap plan from Euro giants

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Barcelona and Real Madrid don’t often do direct transfer business, but Bayern Munich are reportedly hatching a plan to see a loanee move from one to the other.

Having failed to establish himself under Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu last season in terms of securing a prominent role, James Rodriguez joined Bayern in a two-year loan deal last summer.

SEE MORE: Barcelona eyeing up possible swoop for €100M-rated Real Madrid star to potentially replace Andres Ineista

The 26-year-old has performed well in Bavaria this season, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in 26 appearances for the Bundesliga leaders as they remain on course for another successful campaign.

However, according to Don Balon, as re-reported by The Express, the Colombian international could be part of a transfer plan from Bayern which sees him move to Barcelona as part of a deal which would take Ousmane Dembele to the Allianz Arena.

It’s worth noting that if accurate, this is a very complicated transfer strategy. Firstly, the German giants would of course have to sign Rodriguez outright and it remains to be seen if Madrid are willing to sell or wish to take him back if he continues to impress.

Following on from that, they would then naturally have to find an agreement with Barcelona for Dembele, while there seems to be an assumption that Rodriguez would be of interest to the Catalan giants based on the fact that Barca reportedly wanted him in 2014, as per the report.

While he’s undoubtedly a talented player with the technical quality to succeed at the Nou Camp, it remains to be seen whether or not that’s a move that all parties are keen on and if coach Ernesto Valverde believes he can fit into his side without upsetting the current successful balance.

Nevertheless, based on this specific Don Balon report, what they believe is that Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes is a big fan of Dembele’s and adding Rodriguez to an offer could seemingly allow him to work with the French youngster.

The 20-year-old has struggled in his first season with Barcelona, scoring just one goal and providing five assists in 13 appearances. Injuries have been a real problem, although there have been more positive signs recently, including his goal against Chelsea in the Champions League.

Rodriguez is undoubtedly a top-class player who would improve almost every team in Europe. Whether he ends up at Barcelona in the near future remains to be seen as this seems a little far-fetched for the time being, but it’s a merry-go-round that could arguably suit almost every party involved.

Bayern would get their reported desired target in Dembele, Rodriguez would get another chance at succeeding in Spain with Barcelona getting a quality replacement and Madrid would likely receive a decent fee to reinvest if they don’t wish to take him back.

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