Report: James Rodriguez Closes in on Napoli Loan From Real Madrid

Napoli are moving closer to completing a loan deal with an obligation to buy for Real Madrid midfielder James Rodríguez. 

Rodríguez was denied a move to Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga side decided not to use their option to make his two-year loan permanent at the end of the season. 

He now looks likely to join the Neapolitan side, although the two clubs currently disagree on how much Napoli should pay to make Rodríguez's move permanent come the end of the season. 

According to Radio CRC (Via TuttoNapoli), the two clubs have reached an agreement over how much the initial loan would cost, with Napoli set to pay €10m to Real.

However, Los Blancos would prefer to receive another €40m for Rodríguez after the conclusion of the initial loan, while I Partenopei are only willing to pay €30m.

It has also been reported that Real could include another player in the deal although it is unknown who that player could be. 

Rodríguez scored seven goals and provided six assists in 28 total appearances last season as he helped Bayern to secure their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title. 

The consensus is that Rodríguez has been underwhelming since winning the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup, He has also suffered multiple injuries over the course of his two-year spell at Bayern. 

However, if Napoli complete this move, it would be a coup for Carlo Ancelotti's side and signal to their rivals that they are serious contenders for the Scudetto. If they can pull this off and if those Kostas Manolas rumors have any substance, Napoli will be a force to be reckoned with next season.