Speaking after his near-perfect performance against Mainz yesterday, James Rodriguez admitted he is still unsure if he’ll be at Bayern Munich next season.
Bayern Munich bounced back from their Champions League elimination in a fantastic manner by thrashing Mainz on Sunday. The defending Bundesliga champions head into the international break on a positive note, sitting at the top of the German table due to a vastly superior goal differential than Borussia Dortmund.
James Rodriguez was the star man for Bayern on Sunday. The Colombian clinched his first hat-trick in Munich, as Niko Kovac’s men slotted six past Mainz. James was deservedly adjudged man of the match, and he was asked to give an update about his future at the club after the match. Speaking to Sky Germany, James admitted that nothing is decided yet and he still is unsure where he will be playing next season. The Colombian did, however, claim that he is happy and enjoying his time at Bayern.
"“Nobody knows exactly what the future holds. There are still some important games to play, so we have to wait and see.“I feel good here and I’m happy. We’ll sit down together and decide later.”"
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The Colombian also added his belief that Niko Kovac is a good coach and that Bayern can win numerous trophies with him. The Bavarians will have to pay Real Madrid €42 million if they hope to sign James permanently. A recent report from Marca suggested that James has no intention to stay at Bayern next season, despite becoming a regular under Kovac in the last couple of months.
When asked for their thoughts on James’ future, neither Uli Hoeness nor Niko Kovac gave any sort of solid update. Instead, they simply praised James for his performances in the past few weeks. Kovac further added that the club still has two months to make the final decision on this transfer. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, meanwhile, is very confident that the former Monaco midfielder will still play in Bayern colors next season.
The Colombian midfielder enjoyed his best form under Jupp Heynckes last season. There was a general feeling in the German media that signing him on a permanent transfer is just a formality. James was linked with many clubs in summer, but the attacking midfielder kept on insisting that he wants a long stay at Bayern. James has returned to his best form after struggling with injuries for much of the first half of the season. He is only a few goals shy of his goal tally from the 2017-18 season despite having played far fewer matches.
Zinedine Zidane’s return to the helm at Real Madrid should effectively minimize any chances of James returning to the Spanish capital. However, James told AS last night that Zidane’s return would not have a major impact on his decision in the summer. Kovac is pleased with how James has been performing recently, and the Colombian is satisfied with his minutes. How he plays over the next few months will be the biggest determining factor in whether or not he remains in Munich beyond this season.