The Blues made an audacious attempt to take the Colombian on loan
Chelsea have seen their attempts to take Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez on loan rejected by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Antonio Conte is working hard to get several deals done before the transfer window closes on Wednesday, with the Italian desperately looking to bolster his defence, while they have seen a £35 million for AC Milan centre-back Alessio Romagnoli rejected.
However, the club’s desperation to the strengthen their defence hasn’t stopped them looking at other targets, and have made a move for out-of-favour Real man, James.
Zinedine Zidane has recently admitted it would be best for the 25-year-old’s career, if he was to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, however, Perez will only consider a permanent deal for the player, in the region of £50-60 million.
James is far from a regular feature at the Bernabeu, and Los Blancos are keen to get him off their wage bill sooner rather than later.
Real signed the Colombian for £65 million, following an impressive World Cup campaign with Colombia in 2014, and now Juventus are also monitoring developments, as they prepare to make a move for James.
But despite the Serie A side’s interest, Chelsea remain the favourites to sign James, who is understood to favour a move to England, where his family are keen on relocating.
Earlier in the week, Zidane said: “James is a Real Madrid player. When I answer these questions, it feels as though I want him to leave.
“But he is a Real player and he is under contract. It’s true that he has played less minutes and that can be a problem. I always try to make every player feel important. James is the same as the others.”
Any deal for the player is expected to go down to the final hours of the transfer window, with no deal anywhere near agreed with either Chelsea or Juventus.
