Report: Futures of James Rodriguez and Paulo Dybala may be linked as Real Madrid lurks behind the scenes

Reports out of Italy indicate that Juventus would like to acquire Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez, but would need to unload Paulo Dybala before making a move. Per Calciomercato, Bayern has already made a decision to let the Colombian go this summer.

James Rodriguez is a transfer target of Juventus for next season. The Colombian star won’t move permanently to Bayern Munich as the Germans have decided not to sign him on a permanent deal. James is set to return to Real Madrid and reports in Spain claim Cristiano Ronaldo has already called him to suggest a move to Juve in the summer.

The player’s agent Jorge Mendes has also discussed with Fabio Paratici about James’ possible Juventus switch but according to Tuttosport, the player will only join Juventus if Paulo Dybala is sold in the summer.

Recent accounts have had both James’ father, Wilson Rodriguez, and his stepfather, Juan Carlos Restrepo, indicating that the 27-year-old could seek out a future in Italy. There were even reports that Cristiano Ronaldo has gotten in on the recruiting pitch to James by giving his former teammate a call to discuss the future.

Tuttosport, meanwhile, indicated that Juventus is looking for a €100m payday on a sale of Dybala and indicated that Real Madrid might be willing to pay that sum.

(Juventus sporting director) Fabio Paratici would discuss (Dybala’s) sale only before an offer of more than 100 million. Precisely the figure that, according to rumors from Spain, Real Madrid would be willing to invest for Dybala.

James has been coy about his future plans, often simply stating that he is happy in Munich despite the imminent deadline concerning his future. The Colombia international also did not give any indication on what his future plans are in a recent interview with Bild that we captured here.

Even with the rumors swirling around him, James turned in a solid, but not spectacular effort for Bayern yesterday in the teams’s 3-2 DFB-Pokal win over Hertha Berlin. James had a terrific assist on Serge Gnabry’s second goal, but also tanked three great scoring chances.

Regardless, James’ value on the open market is very high. Bayern will need to make a formal decision on whether or not to exercise its purchase option from Real Madrid in the coming months so the club can finalize its plans for the 2019/2020 season.