The star of the World Cup, James Rodriguez, will sign for Real Madrid tomorrow for £60million in a transfer that will push several players towards the Premier League.
Rodriguez was in Spain on Sunday on his way back from Colombia to Monaco, where he will say his goodbye to the club this week before returning to the Spanish capital to sign a new six-year deal.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been away on business in South America but returns this week to ensure that once again the European champions’ summer spending goes beyond the £80mn mark – adding Rodriguez’s name to the £20mn capture of Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos last week.
But just as last season the £86mn arrival of Gareth Bale meant Real Madrid sold Mesut Ozil to Arsenal to help pay for the signing, so this summer’s big deals will see the departure of at least one and possibly as many as three Real players.
Manchester United target Angel Di Maria is candidate No 1 to move on despite Carlo Ancelotti’s insistence that the Argentine should be kept at the club.
The bank-breaking purchase of Rodriguez will also speed up Real’s desire to move on Sami Khedira – possibly bringing down the £20mn asking price for the former Stuttgart midfielder, who only has one year left on his contract and is wanted by Arsenal.
And the Rodriguez move could even provoke a bid from Manchester City or Liverpool for former Malaga midfielder Isco, whose path to regular first team football has now been blocked.
The Colombia midfielder top scored at the World Cup and in emotional declarations after the team’s exit from the tournament against Brazil, he said he preferred to play for Madrid than Barcelona.
His agent Jorge Mendes, who also manages out-going Di Maria, still has an excellent relationship with Real, and the wheels were immediately set in motion to bring the attacking midfielder to Spain.
Real are due on British soil on August 12 to play the European Super Cup against Sevilla at the Cardiff City Stadium.
It now looks as if, alongside homecoming hero Gareth Bale, they will have two of the sensations of the World Cup in their ranks.
