Real Madrid Transfer News: Club tells James Rodriguez that he's staying

What’s the story?

Real Madrid have reportedly told James Rodriguez that he would be staying at the Santiago Bernabeu for the upcoming season. After the resounding 7-3 defeat to city rivals, Atletico Madrid and the severe injury to Marco Asensio, Florentino Perez was left with no option but to keep the Colombian despite him being linked with a move away from the Los Blancos.

In case you didn’t know…

Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone were keen on signing the Colombian but the player preferred a reunion with his former boss. James was weighing up a move to Napoli but the only obstacle in the deal was Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis' insistence on signing the player on loan with an option to buy.

The heart of the matter

If reports coming out of Spain are to be believed, James is set to stay at Real Madrid for the upcoming season. The club have informed the player that he will not be transferred.

James was one of the players Zinedine Zidane wanted to cash in on this summer but recent events have led the management to think otherwise. Asensio could be out for the major part of the season after picking up an ACL injury against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly earlier this week and the recent humbling to Atletico too could have played a major role in the change of plans.

Both Napoli and the Los Rojiblancos had made their intentions clear with respect to bringing in the former AS Monaco star. In fact, the latter was even ready to pay cash upfront, unlike the Italian side who were holding out for a loan deal.

Despite the fact that the Los Blancos need to offload players to sign Paul Pogba, the club's stance on James' situation has been altered recently.

What's next?

It will be interesting to see how Zidane integrates the 28-year-old midfielder into his plans for the upcoming season.

Real Madrid's next pre-season fixture takes place on the 30th of July, when they take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Allianz Arena.