Bayern Munich have made a shock loan signing, with James Rodríguez joining them for the next two years from Real Madrid.
The Bundesliga champions will reportedly pay a €10 million loan fee over the two years, with the option to buy the Colombian playmaker outright for €35.2 million in 2019.
Rodríguez keen to star light world stage again
Whilst the future of Rodríguez had been up in the air for some time, there had been little suggestion that he would wind up with Bayern the day the move was completed.
He is reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, who was boss at Real when Rodríguez joined Los Blancos from AS Monaco, in the aftermath of his superb displays for Colombia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The season his spent under Ancelotti was by far his most productive, with 13 goals and 13 assists in La Liga, added to another goal and three assists in the UEFA Champions League.
However injuries, combined with changes of manager and the intense competition for places at Madrid, affected him in the following two years, although in the league he still managed 15 goals and 14 assists in that period. He only scored once in the Champions League, and played no part in either of the victorious finals in 2016 and 2017.
Ancelotti gets his wish
For that reason it seemed likely that he would move on this summer, especially with the prospect of another World Cup on the horizon. Manchester United were amongst the clubs heavily linked with him, however he will now ply his trade in Bavaria for the next two seasons.
“We’re delighted we’ve been able to complete this transfer,” said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Tuesday. He added that signing the 25-year-old had been “Carlo Ancelotti’s biggest wish,” given “their successful spell working together in Madrid.”
Rummenigge sees Rodríguez as “a very versatile player,” who is “a goalscorer” and capable of setting up goals for others, and he believes that there is “no question” that he will increase the quality available to Ancelotti next season.
With Rodríguez, Bayern now have the kind of world class number 10 player that they have not really had despite their constant success in recent years, with the exception perhaps of Mario Götze. His arrival leaves them with a huge wealth of midfield talent as they look to win a sixth-consecutive German title and crack the Champions League once more.
Quotes via Bayern Munich.