Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirms that Bayern Munich will not trigger their option to make the transfer of James Rodriguez permanent this summer.
Bayern Munich have started executing their summer transfer plans now that the 2018-19 season has concluded. The Bundesliga champions have to make key decisions over the future of some of the star players in the squad to make room for impending arrivals. Die Roten will try to raise some funds for the big signings by selling fringe players that are out of favor under Niko Kovac.
James Rodriguez is one player who has been the subject of much speculation throughout the season. The Colombian has reportedly not felt supported at the club, while Kovac is also not apparently fond of the player. Moreover, he has struggled with many injury problems in his second season at the club.
Bayern Munich have been deliberating over making a final decision on James. However, it seems a decision has finally been made.
Speaking to Sport Bild, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge finally confirmed today that Bayern will not take up their option to make the transfer of James permanent. The German admitted that neither party is keen on making the transfer permanent, and James will now return to Real Madrid.
"“The decision with James has been made in principle. He was with me and told me in a personal conversation that he asks the club not to pull the option.“Under these conditions, it makes no sense. He wants to play, be a regular player. That is not guaranteed here. I personally regret that.”"
Rummenigge had insisted last week that Bayern would not take up their option to sign James just for them to sell him for a profit later this summer.
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James joined Bayern from Real Madrid in 2017 on a two-year loan deal. The Colombian was eager to reunite with Carlo Ancelotti after struggling to get minutes under Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital. Their reunion, however, didn’t last very long as Ancelotti was sacked at the start of 2017-18 season. The Colombian struggled in the initial few months at Bayern as he was adapting to a new country and league.
The former Monaco midfielder was back to his best in the second half of his debut season in Bavaria. Jupp Heynckes played him regularly and he ended the campaign strongly. It looked just a matter of formality that Bayern would sign him permanently after such an impressive debut season. James was also content with life at the German club, despite being heavily linked with a move back to Madrid last summer.
James enjoyed a fine World Cup campaign with Colombia last summer. The expectations for his second season were very high, but he just couldn’t get any sort of momentum in his performances. The constant niggles and injuries also didn’t help his cause, and he was completely out of favor under Kovac. His future at the club looked bleak as the season went on, and his comments over his future in the past few months remained ambiguous.
The Colombian won two Bundesliga trophies and one DFB Pokal during his stay at Bayern. His future is likely to be away from Real Madrid, with Zidane back as the club’s manager. James might once again end up working with Ancelotti as he has been heavily linked with a move to Napoli recently. Bayern Munich might not be actively looking for his replacement this summer, but it is a real shame that the club couldn’t see best of James for a longer period of time.