Manchester United face Arsenal fight for James Rodriguez

FA Cup holders Arsenal are apparently leading the race to sign Real Madrid winger James Rodriguez after having tabled a formal approach for his signature. The Colombia international is seemingly frustrated with his stay at the Bernabeu after he

The Colombia international is seemingly frustrated with his stay at the Bernabeu after he was left out the matchday squad altogether for the Champions League final last weekend.

According to Metro h/t El Chiringuito, the 25-year-old could earn an escape route from the Bernabeu with the Gunners having lodged an official bid for his services. Arsene Wenger’s side

Arsene Wenger’s side are desperate to reinforce their forward ranks, and they are understood to have placed a bid on Rodriguez which is just below his £70m price tag.

Rodriguez had been a transfer target for Wenger during his time at both Porto and AS Monaco, and the Frenchman could be third time lucky in the pursuit of the attacker, who is said to favour a Premier League move.

Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in Rodriguez, but the club have yet to make a potential attempt to secure his signature in the transfer window.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan are the other club to have lodged a bid for Rodriguez, other than Arsenal, but their offer has been termed as ‘derisory’ by the European champions.

Rodriguez had largely played second fiddle to Gareth Bale during the start of the season before the Wales international suffered a knee injury prior to the festive period.

However, even then, Rodriguez found himself on the substitutes’ bench with Isco grabbing his opportunity with both hands which led to him getting the nod for the Champions League final.

Rodriguez has never lived up to the big-player status since his move from AS Monaco in 2014, and a move elsewhere could provide him the opportunity to become the main orchestrator in the attack.

Image – Getty