James Rodriguez “comfortable” with Bayern, but his heart may determine what’s next

Bayern Munich midfielder and Colombia international James Rodriguez has been the subject of rampant transfer rumors for the better part of the last seven months. According to his adoptive father Juan Carlos Restrepo, however, James is comfortable in Munich, but may still have a place in his heart for Real Madrid.

In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, Restrepo detailed James’ psyche at this stage of the season and what the star might be thinking regarding his future.

He is comfortable in Munich. I don’t have news about it, but there may be offers based on those rumors coming from England. He is calm and he feels that he’s at a good level again and that he’s physically strong. That gives us a perspective that he is happy, motivated and working well, as he is eager to achieve new success.

Real Madrid are one of his loves, but unfortunately he had to look at a different course. However, that does not mean that he doesn’t love Los Blancos, an institution that allowed him to enjoy beautiful moments. Inside his heart, given that he is a fan of Real Madrid, he will contemplate the possibility of returning. Real Madrid own his rights and I imagine that if he has good performances then his return would be possible.

This, of course, is not the first time that Restrepo has indicated James might want to move back to Madrid. Last July, Restrepo noted that James might have been willing to move back to Spain for the 2018-2019 season. In addition, he revealed that James had talked to since-disposed Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui.

I think it would be okay, it’s a professional decision and I imagine that he would be very honored if Madrid think he has a place in next year’s squad. You’d have to think about whether he will have as many minutes in Madrid as he had in Bayern.

Changes are coming for Madrid with Ronaldo’s departure and the arrival of coach Lopetegui. We have done some research into what Lopetegui tries to implement on the field of play and I believe that his style suits James’ strengths as a player. Zidane had a system which didn’t look as good but was very efficient, which isn’t the same as playing good football. In our opinion, we believe James could have more minutes with Lopetegui’s style. I do know that both James and Lopetegui had a talk around 15 or 20 days ago.

Regardless, there is plenty of time left in the Rückrunde and also an opportunity for a starring role against Liverpool in the Champions League, which could provide James with more clarity on how feels about his future and where he wants to spend it.