Manchester United News and Rumors: Team Eye £60 Million Deal for Real Madrid Star James Rodriguez
Manchester United's plans to overhaul the first team in the summer seems to have started on the right note as the club continue to negotiate with Spanish giants Real Madrid for the signing of their Columbian midfielder James Rodriguez. Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from his post as manager of Manchester United in 2013, the club has struggled in the transfer market and in spite of spending in excess of £250 million on new players, they have not been able to build a squad that could compete on all fronts.
However, the signature of the Columbian forward, who emerged as one of the world's most exciting talents after a string of sterling performances at the 2014 World Cup, would not come cheap. According to reports in The Daily Mirror, Manchester United are in negotiations to take the player to Old Trafford but only after they meet Real Madrid's asking price of £60 million. The fee might seem steep considering the fact that Rodriguez has not had the best of seasons in 2015-16 at Real Madrid, following a spate of injuries and a running feud with former manager Rafa Benitez for the majority of the season. It has not been a season that he would remember with any fondness and even after Benitez was sacked, he has not been able to hold down a regular spot in the eleven under new manager Zinedine Zidane.
According to sources, Real Madrid paid a total of £60 million in addition to performance related bonuses, for James Rodriguez following his performances in the 2014 World Cup and would be willing to let him go for the same amoung. Other than Manchester United, fellow English club Chelsea are also in contention for the signing of the Columbian superstar and Real Madrid has quoted the same price to both clubs. French club Paris St. Germain is another club that has been linked with the transfer since they have the financial clout to pay such a fee but it is believed that they are currently completely invested in bringing Brazilian star Neymar to Paris from Barcelona.
