The ManicaPost
Colombia talisman James Rodriguez has emerged as the star player at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and there is sure to be significant interest from Europe’s leading clubs this summer.
However, with Premier League clubs facing stiff competition from Real Madrid for his signature, there may be pangs of regret at Old Trafford after it emerged that Manchester United have twice turned down the chance to sign the brilliant Colombian playmaker.
United have had an extensive scouting system in place in South America and Rodriguez was firmly on the club’s radar as an 18-year-old in 2010 when he was starring for Argentine side Club Atletico Banfield. United were approached by agents around the time that the club bought Javier Hernandez from Guadalajara, but senior officials did not respond when Rodriguez would have been available for as little as £5 million.
To rub salt into the wounds, United then bought the unknown £7,4m winger Bebe just over a month later, but he has started just three games in four years since signing for the club. Rodriguez, meanwhile, went on to sign for Porto for a fee in the region of £4m, where he won three league titles and the Europa League under the management of Andre Villas-Boas as his development continued apace.
United’s interest was then reignited in 2013 but they were put off by an asking price that approached £40m, while there were also complications with third-party ownership that made any deal incredibly difficult to pull off. French club Monaco made the big money move for Rodriguez, who joined the French club in a joint £60m deal for him and Porto team-mate Joao Moutinho last summer.
Now, with United boasting a number of players who operate most effectively in the ‘‘number 10’’ position, including Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and in the long term, Adnan Januzaj, it would seem very unlikely that Rodriguez will one day surface as a Manchester United player. – DailyMail.
However, Monaco are braced for for a battle to keep hold of the Colombian this summer, with Napoli and Real Madrid registering an interest in the 22-year-old.
Although the French side will play in the UEFA Champions League next season, it may not be enough to persuade Rodriguez to stay, with his heart seemingly set on a move to Spain.
‘It would be a dream to play in Spain, one of the best leagues in the world,’ he is reported to have told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.
When pressed whether he would prefer Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid, he replied: ‘I like Madrid more.’ – DailyMail
