Real Madrid are reportedly looking to offload the midfield duo of James Rodriguez and Isco Alcarcon Suarez in the summer. The duo have been off colour this past season and have not impressed the Bernabeu faithful, which was seen in the Madrid derby on the weekend, when both of them were whistled off the pitch when substituted.
James Rodriguez has in particular had a tough season, failing to secure a regular starting spot under previous manager Rafael Benitez and that bad form has carried on under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane. The Colombian has had to battle accusations of being fat, dealt with off the field issues when he was pulled up for speeding, apart from having to spend time out due to injuries.
Trending
Although the board believe that Rodriguez still has a lot to offer in terms of production on the field, they are not convinced by what they’ve seen so far. However, they still believe that manager Zidane can get the best out of the playmaker. Unless his form improves, the Puskas award winner could be on his way out of the club.
Lack of consistency Isco’s problem
Isco is a completely different case as the Spaniard has not been able to show any consistency in his performances for the Los Blancos. The midfielder has put in some great performances, but they have been interspersed with very patchy outings, and so he doesn’t retain the trust and confidence of the fans.
Though he started off well once Zidane took over, his performances have since dipped and he hasn’t finished matches on a regular basis in the last month odd. Isco was also on the bench for Real’s match against Athletic Bilbao and needs to show that he can deliver consistently at a high level in order to be considered indispensable to the team. He was also jeered off the pitch by fans in their previous match against Atletico Madrid.
Interest from Premier League giants for both
Both James and Isco have had very lukewarm seasons, with the former registering five goals and six assists in 17 matches while the latter has one goal and four assists in 21 matches. They are in danger of being offloaded in the summer if they don’t make the most of their chances now, they will be the first to make way as the club undertake a clearout in the summer.
According to Marca, Manchester United have expressed interest in James Rodriguez and might need to pay as much as €80 million for the Colombian’s services, while Isco is reportedly interesting Arsenal, with the price for him said to be around €45 million.
