James Rodriguez wants to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, bringing to an end his two-year loan spell.
The Colombian has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal with some outlets claiming that he was the reason Unai Emery and Sven Mislintat’s relationship became strained. There is, of course, no evidence this was actually the case.
Bayern have an option to buy the Real Madrid man but seem unlikely to use that when his loan deal expires. Manager Niko Kovac doesn’t seem to have any love for James, freeing him up for other clubs.
There is also the possibility that Bayern Munich will pay the €42m stipulated in James’ loan deal and then sell him on for a quick profit.
So that’s your starting point – €42m.
While Arsenal will have money to spend in the summer, will they really have that much to spare for a player like James unless they get rid of Mesut Ozil?