James Rodriguez prefers a move to Real Madrid rather than Barcelona

James Rodriguez of Colombia reacts after scoring a goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Colombia and Uruguay.

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Colombian winger James Rodriguez has expressed his desire to play in Spain, and favours a move to Real Madrid over Barcelona or Atletico Madrid.

Speaking to Spanish radio station, Cadena Cope, the 22-year-old was quoted by Goal saying, "I would love to play in Spain. It would be a dream to play there - it is the best league in the world."

When asked if he had a certain club in mind, he said, “I prefer Madrid to Barcelona."

Sky Sports’ Spanish correspondent Guillem Balague confirmed the story:

James Rodriguez: "I prefer Real Madrid to Barcelona". He did not waste much time positioning himself

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) June 28, 2014

Rodriguez is certainly the talk of the town after he heroically led his team to a comprehensive 2-0 win over Uruguay, taking them to their very first quarterfinal in their FIFA World Cup history. His brace also took him to the top of the Golden Boot race, with a total of five goals to his name along with two assists.

He had recently moved to Ligue 1 side Monaco from Porto after the French club paid €45 million for him, and are less likely to off-load him unless Real Madrid comes up with an offer they won’t want to refuse.