James Rodriguez looked destined to join Napoli in this window, but a late twist means he is now closer to joining one of Real Madrid's bitter rivals.
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The Colombian impressed during the recent Copa America, but remains out of Zinedine Zidane's plans at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 28-year-old was said to be close to joining Napoli, where he would link up with former Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti. However, the latest reports indicate that there could be a twist in the tale as the Serie A club and Real are struggling to come to an agreement on the terms of his deal, with the Italian club apparently after an initial loan while Real want €42 million (R659 million).
"He's in our hearts, especially in the heart of the coach who has brought the best out of him, Ancelotti," Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said recently, as quoted by Marca.
"The problem is that we have to deal with Real Madrid. We're tough, we don't want to give in to the unfair asking price of Florentino Perez.
"We're not in a hurry because our team is already very strong. We only need to fight.
"The fight is between those that want to buy and those that want to sell. We want to buy, but we don't want to make any mistakes."
Amid the problems between Napoli and Real, Marca have also reported that Rodriguez could somewhat sensationally join Real's crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.
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Los Rojiblancos would be prepared to meet Real's asking price, and the player is seemingly happy to stay in Madrid too.
Rodriguez spent the past two seasons on loan at Bayern Munich but the German giants opted against activating their purchase option on the player.
Do you think Real should sell Rodriguez to rivals Atletico? Have your say in the comments below.
