Galatasaray interested in James Rodriguez

Turkish club Galatasaray and Real Madrid are negotiating a potential deal for James Rodriguez, according to reports from the Turkish press. Galatasaray are the only club interested in the Colombian playmaker so far this summer and appear to be the most likely destination for him right now.

However, Galatasaray wouldn’t be interested in a permanent deal for James because they just can’t match his current salary. Apparently, the two clubs are working on a loan deal where Galatasaray would pay more than half —but not the entirety— of James’ contract with Madrid, something which would allow Los Blancos to at least get a big part of his deal off the books, given the lack of offers from other clubs.

With James’ contract with Madrid expiring in the summer of 2021, the midfielder would then become a free agent after this season. That means that Real Madrid shouldn’t expect to cash in some money for James. While Galatasaray’s offer is a bit disappointing for a player of James’ reputation, it would give Madrid some flexibility.

If the Turkish side is indeed willing to complete such a deal, Los Blancos will ultimately be forced to accept it just to get rid of at least a part of James’ contract.