Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez has all but confirmed that he will stay with the European giants and has ruled out a move to Premier League.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea were heavily linked with a move for the talented Colombian but the 25-year old has insisted that he will stay at Santiago Bernabeu and fight for his place in the first team.
After falling down the pecking order under Zinedine Zidane and was heavily linked with a January move away from the club but things looked to have settled down with the management as he remains keen to stay.
James Rodriguez has played a very confined role in the team in the first half of the season but his opportunities has increased tremendously in the second half of the season as Zidane has preferred to play him either on right wing or his preferred No.10 role in the past few weeks.
‘I think that everything is fine, the Real is a great club and I always wanted to play here,’ he said after Real Madrid’s 3-1 win against Napoli in Champions League.
‘The good and bad times always come, but I want to stay here long (term).’
However, James Rodriguez will have to continue working hard to keep his place in the first team as Gareth Bale is set to return to the team in the coming days as he has just recovered from his injury.
Manchester United and Chelsea will not be disappointed as the player could yet make a move if Zidane does not provide the needed playing time for the Colombian international once Gareth Bale returns to action.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will now look to progress to quarterfinals of Champions League after a valuable 3-1 lead in the first leg and they look favorites to win La Liga this season.