Real Madrid Refuse to Sanction Loan Deal for James Rodriguez Amid Strong Napoli Interest
Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez will not be allowed to leave the club on loan this summer, with Los Blancos instead holding out for a permanent deal amid strong interest from Napoli.
The Colombian midfielder is bracing himself for a Santiago Bernabeu exit after months of speculation regarding his long-term future. He's spent the last two season on loan at Bayern Munich, but the Bavarians opted against making the deal permanent as they look to strengthen in other areas.
Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
He's been strongly tipped to move to Serie A heavyweights Napoli, though any move was expected to be an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy.
But Goal claim that Real will not let Rodriguez leave on a loan as they wish to avoid a repeat of this summer's scenario with Bayern. Instead, Los Blancos are looking to recoup the majority of the €75m fee they splashed out five years ago when signing Rodriguez from Monaco.
After spending a whopping €300m on signings already, a permanent sale would allow manager Zinedine Zidane to fund more additions to his squad - as links to Paul Pogba, Christian Eriksen and Neymar all continue to circulate.
Denis Doyle/GettyImages
Sky Sport Italia reiterate that Napoli remain frontrunners for Rodriguez's signature, but a deal is not close to be finalised.
Adding fuel to the transfer fire, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently told local radio station Radio Kiss Kiss that signing Rodriguez is manager Carlo Ancelotti's "wish", having previously worked with the playmaker during his time in charge of both Real and Bayern.
The 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner contributed to a number of goals during his time in Bavaria, but generally struggled to make a lasting impression.
Still, his mix of 35 goals and assists in 67 appearances represents a decent return in Germany, with his form continuing into this summer's Copa America. Rodriguez has picked up a couple of assists in Colombia's first two games, particularly impressing against Qatar.
