According to reports from Bild, Cristiano Ronaldo wants his former Real Madrid teammate James Rodriguez at Juventus. James Rodriguez joined Real Madrid from Monaco in 2014 following an impressive World Cup where he was the top scorer. His transfer fee of £63 million was the highest paid for a Colombian player. Things were going somewhat okay for Colombian but due to lack of playing time under manager Zinedine Zidane, James left Real and joined Bayern Munich on a two-season loan in 2017.
The Colombian had an impressive first season at Bayern, scoring 8 goals and providing 14 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions. This season however, the Colombian hasn’t got much playing time under Niko Kovac, making only 28 appearances. In those 28 appearances, James has amassed 7 goals and 6 assists.
James’ loan spell at Bayern Munich expires this summer and there is a good chance that he will leave Bayern Munich as the club won’t be willing to pay €42 million to secure his services on a permanent basis. His parent club Real Madrid also aren’t too willing to sign him as they will most likely have Eden Hazard next season. Hence, James will be in search of a new club this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly interested in bringing James to Turin and will try to persuade him to do so. The two have played together at Real Madrid for three seasons and Ronaldo feels James will be a good fit at Juventus. Juventus have many world-class players up front but the one thing they need is an attacking play-maker who can link up well with the midfielders and the attackers. That’s where James Rodriguez comes in.
