Manchester United favourites to sign Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez

Manchester United have emerged as the favourites to sign Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez who has been valued at a fee in the range of €80m (£67m, $88m). The Spanish club believe that there are teams who are capable of matching that figure and are willing to let him go if they are able to accrue enough value out of his sale.

Spanish publication MARCA reports that James is not sure about his future with Madrid and would sanction a move should any club be interested. The Colombian did not play a single minute in Real's Champions League win over Atletico Madrid last May, something that has greatly affected his resolve to stay at the club. The player knows that he will have a bit role under Zinedine Zidane and is therefore looking for a move elsewhere to extend his playing time.

The 25-year-old wants to feel important at the club, for which he has had talks with the technical director and also the president in a bid to know his position going into next season. The report states that he can get back into the XI should he mend his attitude, something that has been noticed by the French manager.

He made 36 appearances in all competitions for Madrid, scoring 10 goals and assisting 10 but is expected to do much more if he has to get his starting spot back. He also scored two goals and assisted one in the recently concluded Copa America in USA where he was the standout player for his national team.

United can be joined by the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain with bids, while West Ham, who are moving into the Olympic stadium next season are also a possible destination for the midfielder. The Red Devils have been quite busy in the market this season, having already completed three signings in the form of Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.