James Rodriguez is sure to be one of the most sought-after players during next transfer window and of course Arsenal’s name is in the mix – in the media at least.
- James is married to David Opsina’s sister
- Arsenal have reportedly tried to sign him twice before
- 25-year-old has fallen our with Zinedine Zidane
With many European giants already in race to sign him up, Arsenal are reportedly ready to join the pack. Or have joined the pack. Or are leading the pack. It all depends on where you do your reading, really.
Whether it will be third time lucky for Arsenal remains to be seen after already missing out on him TWICE in the past. Reports say that the Gunners tried to bring James Rodriguez to Arsenal during his spells at FC Porto and AS Monaco.
The Colombian arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 for a hefty fee of £68m from AS Monaco after a sensational performance in the World Cup.
The 25 year-old has fallen out of favour with Zidane this season and has so far made only 15 appearances in La Liga, seven of which have come from the bench. He has been substituted six times when starting. Given his status and comparing his last two seasons, it is becoming obvious that his move away from Real Madrid will happen sooner rather than later.
Rodriguez is linked with several top European clubs as the media claim that Chelsea, Manchester United, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all tracking the player.
With a price tag set at £47m, it could prove quite a bargain for such a quality player. Rodriguez is looking for consistent game-time, and both Arsenal and Rodriguez could benefit from the move.
Adding the Colombian to the squad would see him re-join Mesut Ozil and provide a long term solution for Arsenal’s midfield and right wing position.
With James and Mesut, Arsenal would have a considerable creative force behind their forwards.
In the last two seasons Mesut has set up 31 goals for his teammates in 79 games and James has set up 23 goals in 57 games.
If Arsenal manages to bring Rodriguez and one of the promising young strikers linked, like Andre Silva from FC Porto, next year’s title challenge could definitely become a reality for them.