James Rodríguez is now linked with River Plate; the Colombian had already been rumored for Boca, but his position regarding his future is clear. The number 10 wants to return to Europe, and the Argentine club asserts that there is nothing advanced with the 33-year-old midfielder, who is in Spain waiting to finalize his new team. Despite the contact that Marcelo Gallardo may have had with him, there are several factors that make his arrival at Núñez almost impossible, among them, and the most important, his personal wish.
Marcos ‘Huevo’ Acuña is the last confirmed signing by River Plate; the full-back returned from Europe to play for Gallardo’s team and joins the arrivals of: Fabricio Bustos, Maximiliano Meza, and Germán Pezzella. Although they are still looking for an offensive midfielder, the Colombian’s name is not among the priorities.
River has until August 22 to sign players
With James in Spain and just two days before the market closes in Argentina, it’s an almost impossible race against the clock for the signing to happen. The new rules of Argentine football set a deadline for signing players on Thursday, August 22, until 6 PM (Colombia time). After that, clubs can only sign players from the local league if any current squad member leaves the institution. So the opportunity for the number 10 is quite limited.
According to TNT Sports, after asking several club officials, James’ name has never been mentioned. Therefore, it becomes much harder to believe that he could play in Argentine football, although this period always brings surprises.
Spain and Italy, possible destinations for James Rodríguez
Since the option with Lazio faded away, the Colombian’s name has been linked with two clubs in Spain and one in Italy recently. Celta de Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, and Fiorentina are among those showing interest in the number 10. However, the team from Vallecas reportedly has something more advanced than the others, and the club president, Raúl Martín Presa, could facilitate the Colombian’s arrival.
Time is starting to play against the Colombian, who has been training independently since returning from the Copa. But he needs to compete to arrive with rhythm for the qualifiers in September, where Colombia will face Peru away and host Argentina at the Metropolitano. His status as a free agent gives him more time, but it’s concerning that the best player of the Copa América has yet to receive an offer that convinces him.
Follow the Diario AS channel on WhatsApp, where you’ll find all sports in one place: the news of the day, the agenda with the latest on the most important sports events, the most notable images, opinions from the top AS contributors, reports, videos, and a bit of humor now and then.