Arsenal are now reportedly unable to clinch the transfer of James Rodriguez after losing the Europa League final to Chelsea and missing out on qualification for the Champions League.
The Real Madrid and Bayern Munich misfit has been linked several times with the Gunners recently, but Don Balon now claim they are no longer in the running due to not being able to offer him a chance to play in Europe’s top club competition.
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Another Don Balon report also linked Rodriguez with Liverpool and Arsenal, though this latest update suggests a move to Anfield is also unlikely as he wouldn’t be guaranteed a regular starting spot in Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The piece goes on to suggest the Colombia international could now perhaps be most likely to make a move to Serie A with either Juventus or Napoli.
While it would be a shame not to be able to see a talent like Rodriguez in the Premier League, it is also true that he’s failed to live up to the potential he showed a few years ago.
The 27-year-old was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot, and that earned him his big move to Real Madrid.
However, he’s since struggled at the Bernabeu and also not made much of an impression in a two-year loan at Bayern Munich.
Still, given how badly Mesut Ozil played in the Europa League final, Unai Emery could probably still have benefited from landing Rodriguez as an upgrade in that attacking midfield role.