James Rodriguez says he wants to stay at Bayern Munich beyond the summer of 2019

James Rodriguez has revealed that he would like to stay at Bayern Munich beyond the summer of 2019, when his current loan from Real Madrid is set to expire. Speaking to Kicker (via Bundesliga) at a press conference at Bayern's training camp in Doha, the Colombian was quick to express his desire to stay for a long time when asked about his future with the club:

I’m staying here. My present is here and I’m very happy in Munich. I don’t want to think about anything else.

Bayern can exercise the option to purchase James from Real Madrid at the end of his loan spell. That looks increasingly likely with how much James has improved after a relatively slow start, partly due to a hamstring injury.

The midfielder has contributed a total of 2 goals and 4 assists from 19 appearances across all competitions thus far, and has looked a completely revitalized player since Jupp Heynckes took charge of the club back in October. James made sure to give Heynckes plenty of praise for how much he has helped in turning his fortunes around:

I slowly found my rhythm. It helped that I got so much playing time. Jupp Heynckes is a top coach - second to none worldwide. We speak a lot and it helps me that he speaks Spanish.

Heynckes himself noted that James’s performances had “earned him the respect of the team.”

James is entirely confident that Bayern can repeat their treble-winning success from the 2012-2013 season. Asked about Bayern's second half of the season, which resumes against Bayer Leverkusen in just over a week, James stated:

I have a very good feeling with the team. I hope things go well in the second half of the season because I still want to achieve a lot with this team.

He's certainly getting along with his teammates, too: