Colombian superstar James Rodriguez is not thinking about leaving Bayern Munich in order to re-join his former club Real Madrid.
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of James Rodriguez at Bayern Munich in recent weeks. Earlier this month, reports emerged in Spain that Real Madrid wanted to bring James back to the Spanish capital. The departure of Zinedine Zidane was used as leverage, with the reports claiming Rodriguez could use this chance to establish himself as a key player at Real Madrid.
Bayern Munich quickly dismissed these rumors, though. James’ representatives also insisted that he has no interest in leaving Bayern this summer. The German champions consider the Colombian a key player in the squad. While talking to the Suso Show in Colombia (via Marca), James Rodriguez also admitted that he is very happy at Bayern Munich. The midfielder is overwhelmed by the support he has been shown by the club and its fans in his debut season.
"“So far, I’m still here and I’ve had a spectacular first season so I’m very happy here, and I feel like the club and the fans love me very much.”"
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The player’s comments surely confirm that he is not going anywhere this summer. Bayern Munich signed James from Real Madrid on an initial two-year loan spell with an option to buy. The Bavarians reportedly paid a loan fee in the region of €13 million, while the fee to make the deal permanent is reported at €42 million. Real Madrid will have to be prepared to sell to Bayern next summer, as the latter are interested in making the deal permanent.
The Colombian international initially struggled at Bayern Munich. He moved to Bayern to get regular gametime as he was not getting that under Zidane at Real Madrid. After Carlo Ancelotti was sacked, his transfer seemed destined to become a disaster. The Italian manager was the one who had convinced Bayern to sign the Colombian after working with him previously at Real Madrid.
Rodriguez worked hard in training and impressed Jupp Heynckes, though. The German manager rewarded James for his hard work by giving him a run of games, and James delivered good performances in these games. By the end of the season he became Bayern’s most important player. The Colombian ended the campaign with eight goals and 12 assists.
Colombia were knocked out by England in the World Cup round of 16. Rodriguez, who missed that match, was able to play only one game throughout the tournament due to injury problems. He delivered in that one game against Poland by notching up two sublime assists. Bayern will be hoping that the Colombian is now completely fit for the new season. He is likely to be even more influencial for Bayern this season after completely adapting to the Bundesliga.
The Spanish media is still consistently reporting Real Madrid’s interest in James, though, and will likely continue to do so. Rodriguez has admitted numerous times that he is enjoying life in Germany. Unless something drastic happens, James will be a Bayern player throughout the prime years of his career.