Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez could find his way to Barcelona next season in a shock swap deal that would be one of the stories of the transfer window.
In a roundabout way, the Colombia international could end up crossing the Real-Barca divide via Bayern Munich first as they look to make his loan deal permanent.
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According to Don Balon, however, the Bavarian giants could then use Rodriguez as bait in a swap deal for Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who is a top target for the club’s incoming manager Niko Kovac.
The Croatian tactician is a big fan of his fellow countryman and has supposedly communicated this with the Bayern board ahead of his move to take over at the Allianz Arena.
Rakitic could certainly do a job for a club like Bayern and various recent reports have suggested his future is up in the air this summer.
Another Don Balon report recently claimed the 30-year-old was mulling over his future following an offer from Manchester United.
The Red Devils may now struggle to land the midfielder, however, and could be exploring alternative options as the Independent link them with Napoli’s Jorginho and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos as priorities.