James Rodriguez has reportedly decided he does not want to stay at Bayern Munich beyond this summer after spending two years on loan at the club.
Bayern Munich have a chance to clinch a domestic double this weekend when they face RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal final. This season has not been ideal for the Bavarians, and they need to resolve their squad issues this summer in order to ensure they don’t face the same issues next season.
Die Roten need to make some tough decisions regarding a few of the star players in the squad. Some veteran players are being released, so Bayern will be looking raise funds by cashing in on players who are out of favor under Niko Kovac.
James Rodriguez is one of those fringe players who might be playing at a different club next season. The Colombian attacking midfielder has previously insisted he is enjoying life in Bavaria. However, James has reportedly changed his stance in recent months and is keen on a transfer this summer.
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According to Sky Deutschland, James has made a decision on his future. The Colombian has no interest in making his loan move from Real Madrid permanent this summer but instead hopes to leave Bayern Munich. Sky‘s report does not give any potential destinations for the Colombian, but it makes clear James has no intentions to be playing in Bayern red next season.
Bayern’s chiefs have continually insisted that a decision on James’ is yet to be made. The German club has an option of making his transfer from Real Madrid permanent for a fee of €42 million. This continued deliberation over making a decision surely indicates that Bayern are also not very keen on signing James permanently.
This transfer looked pretty certain after James’ impressive debut season in Germany. The player also kept on insisting that he wanted to win trophies with Bayern and that he felt completely settled at the club. However, both the club and player’s stance took a massive shift this season. The Colombian struggled to replicate his best form and struggled with injuries this campaign.
James also was reportedly upset with Kovac’s rotation policy early in the season, and it was recently reported he doesn’t feel supported at the club. He has been skeptical about his future at Bayern in his recent interviews. The Bavarians have a lot of positions to address this summer, so there is no point in signing a player who is not exactly liked by the manager.
The Bavarians can make this transfer permanent and then try to sell him for a profit. However, this move could become complicated for Bayern as the stock of James has fallen this season and interested clubs might look to sign him on a cut-price deal. It is pretty certain that James’ time at the club is coming to an end, and a departure this summer is the best possible solution for all parties involved.