James Rodriguez has revealed that Real Madrid blocked him leaving for a La Liga rival in the summer – thought to be Atletico Madrid – and wanted him to move elsewhere.
The Colombian’s move to Los Blancos was one of, if not the, most high profile transfers in 2014, but his time in the Spanish capital has deteriorated year upon year, with the forward no longer in Zinedine Zidane’s plans.
A two-year loan move to Bayern Munich in 2017 was a seen as a chance to reignite his career, but the German side opted against signing him permanently and he returned to Madrid last summer.
There were strong links to Napoli and Atletico upon his return – as well as outlandish rumours of Premier League interest – but Rodriguez was still unable to leave the club. The player has since revealed, however, that a move to a fellow La Liga side was on the cards, only for Real to reject the unnamed club’s proposal.
“There was a very good proposal from a Spanish team, which Real Madrid rejected. I’d prefer not to say the name of the team,” James told Colombian news outlet Gol Caracol. “I thought it was a done deal, but they didn’t let me go to the club I wanted to join. They wanted me to go to another team.”
Rodriguez also revealed that the Italian offer he received didn’t entice him, while offers from China were turned down due to his desire to remain in Europe. But, he’s featured just 14 times this season under Zidane and is keen to seek new pastures when the window reopens.
He added: “There was an offer from Italy, but it didn’t convince me, I felt it wasn’t good. My representative, Jorge Mendes, told me that a proposal had come from China, but I replied that I would not go. I wasn’t willing to do it because I feel I can still give a lot in Europe.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future, but if they give me a choice then I would choose a club where I could show my abilities and my potential.”
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