Transfer Rumors 2018: Liverpool Interested in James Rodríguez
A new name has just been added to the list of potential replacements for Philippe Coutinho.
According to Spanish news outlet Don Balón, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is reportedly planning to sign Real Madrid's James Rodríguez on a permanent deal this summer.
Of course, it should be noted that Don Balón is not exactly known for the accuracy of their reports so readers are advised to take this with a grain of salt.
Still, Rodríguez is an interesting option for Liverpool because of his playmaking ability and creativity. However, he is currently on a two-year loan at Bayern Munich, so the Reds will have to convince the reigning Bundesliga champions to end the loan deal prematurely before they can sign him.
The Colombian footballer's exploits at the 2014 World Cup propelled him into the global spotlight, and Real Madrid signed him a few weeks after the tournament for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of €80 million.
However, he failed to make an impact with Los Blancos and he fell out of favor when Zinedine Zidane became the club's manager in January 2016.
Rodríguez recently opened up about his time at Real Madrid and he has hinted that he doesn't want to play under Zidane again.
"The figures are there to be interpreted and every coach has their preferred players which I understand," said Rodriguez, via Marca.
"I don't know whether I can say I had a closeness with Zidane but each coach has his preferences. I can't say whether he was unjust with me but there is no point thinking any more about that," he continued.
"It was sad the way I left as Real was a dream for me but football is like that, where one day you are where you want to be and the next...," he added.