It’s Official: Bayern Munich sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid

In a completely shocking and unexpected turn of events, Bayern Munich have signed Colombian superstar James Rodriguez on a two year loan deal from Real Madrid. In case you don’t believe it, the news was broken by the club’s official twitter account:

Sources are reporting that the deal includes a loan fee of €10m for a two-year period + an option to buy in 2019 for €35.2m. If Bayern take the option, this would make James the club’s record transfer for a combined total of €45.2m.

However, considering the fact that rumored fees for the darling of the 2014 World Cup were in excess of €50m, Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummeigge can consider this an absolute steal.

James Rodriguez was signed by Real Madrid in 2014 after a spectacular World Cup campaign. However, the Colombian found it difficult to nail down a starting berth in the Spanish capital, and recently found himself on the fringes under manager Zinedine Zidane. However, he continues to perform for Colombia and his transfer counts as one of the biggest made by the German Champions in recent years.

At Bayern, James will be reunited with former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, with whom he worked for one season.

Here is what Rummenigge had to say about the transfer: