Liverpool and Real Madrid are to hold talks on a potential swap deal involving Sadio Mane and James Rodriguez, according to a report in Don Balon.
According to the report, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is desperate to sign Senegalese forward Sadio Mane but is reluctant to meet Liverpool’s price tag of 150 million euros.
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However, with Jurgen Klopp looking to boost the creativity in his midfield, Don Balon claim the Reds boss has submitted a proposal to Madrid that would see Mane and Rodriguez swap places.
The cash plus player deal involves Real paying Liverpool only 122 million euros and adding James Rodriguez in the mix to aid Klopp’s midfield wants, instead of paying the Anfield club’s 150 million euro full asking price for Mane, according to Don Balon.
The reports states that Zidane has been trying to offload Rodriguez for some time now but has only kept the Colombian at the Bernabeu because of Real president Florentino Perez.
However, it looks as though Real will now be able to clear James’ massive 8 million euros-a-year wages from their wage bill and could see both parties satisfied with their transfer business, according to the report.
Liverpool fans might not be too happy with this latest rumour, as Rodriguez has been badly off form for some time now and seems a risky signing, especially as it would involve a player as important as Mane leaving.