Report: James Rodriguez to Atletico Madrid “operation is 80% done”

There may be something to this beyond the usual transfer rumour fluff. Colombian journalist Javier Hernandez Bonnet says a deal which would involve James Rodriguez moving to cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid is nearly done.

“If Real Madrid want to recover some of their money, they need to close the deal. If they don’t do it between now and December, James will be a free agent,” Bonnet said on Blu Radio. “Real Madrid should open the door for James. The same sources that told us when he moved to Bayern Munich, have said the operation is 80% done,”

On some level, a move like this would make sense for James. He’s too talented to see the entire peak of his career being spent on the irrelevancy of a reserve role. His stint at Bayern was up and down, and he’s trying to find a big club that would give him regular playing time. While Atleti are cross-town rivals, he wouldn’t have to relocate his family, and he’d presumably be an important player for Diego Simeone.