It was reported this week that former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez wants to return to Europe after spending a season in Qatar with Al-Rayyan.
The Colombian has played 14 times for the club and has scored five goals with a further seven assists in the Middle East, but the 30-year-old hasn’t enjoyed his time there and has been dropped from the squad on multiple occasions.
Now an opportunity has arisen for the midfielder to return to Europe, where the former Everton man believes he can still play a role in many of the big clubs in the main European leagues.
According to Fichajes, West Ham and Aston Villa are said to be interested in the Colombian and could make a move for the midfielder if he decides to leave Al-Rayyan.
The 30-year-old’s contract expires in 2024 but would have a low price this summer and it could be agreed that the salary requirements be lowered as well.
This could be a big incentive for the two clubs to move for the midfielder, with West Ham desperate to add bodies to their front positions, where they lack depth for the number of games they are competing in.
As for Aston Villa, they’ll be looking to sign Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal this summer, but should that fail Rodriguez could be an option. The Birmingham club might decide to sign both but it would be hard to see the Colombian find a starting spot in Gerrard’s side, which assuming is what he wants.
Signing Rodriguez will be a big risk as you don’t know what you are going to get with the Colombian midfielder these days. The 30-year-old only impressed at Everton in spells but never put a consistent run together for the Toffees.