Zinedine Zidane has left James Rodriguez’s future in the hands of Florentino Perez.
Zinedine Zidane has distanced himself from James Rodriguez’s unforeseeable future. The Frenchman added that his fate will be taken care of by the club’s president Florentino Perez.
The Colombian International, who made 67 appearances for Bayern Munich during a two-year loan spell, has been linked with Napoli and Atletico Madrid. Following Carlo Ancelloti’s divulge about his admiration for James, his agent has been in continued negotiations with the Italian side. Whereas, the Los Rojiblancos have made a public statement about their interest in their rivals player.
When Zinedine Zidane was asked about those comments, he distanced himself from by demanding the press to query Perez for a clearcut answer.
In a news conference ahead of Atletico International Champions Cup clash on Friday, he said: “It is a matter for the club,”
“It is something between them – the presidents – not me.”
The Colombian had an extraordinary start to his Los Blancos career, but never took off from there. He struggled to adapt under Zinedine Zidane allowing him to join Bayern Munich on loan.
The 28-year-old has two years left in his Real Madrid contract and it would require a minimum sum of 50 million to lure him away. James was currently away with Colombia with the Copa America, but he has been scheduled to arrive for the pre-season training with Real Madrid on July 29th.
Should the negotiations with either of these clubs get underway, the Colombian will be told to sit on the sidelines because of the stubborn decision from Zidane, who wants to get rid of him at any cost.
The Los Blancos have already sold Marcus Llorente and Matteo Kovacic for a combined deal of 100 million. However, they have spent 300 million on Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, and Ferland Mendy.
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What’s next?
For a middling price for James Rodriguez, many teams will be queuing up for his services. However, either Atletico Madrid and Napoli remain the possible destination for him.
