£50m forward verbally agrees to join Manchester United, wants the ‘number 10’ shirt next season




Manchester United appear to have won the race to sign Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez. According to The Sun, the player’s wife has started house hunting in England with Manchester understood to be the preferred choice. However, the couple are also looking at options in London, which do suggest that the deal to United may not be 100% certain. One of the key factors that have made United as the favourites to sign the player is the presence of super-agent Jorge Mendes. The Portuguese agent handles James Rodriguez just as he does Jose Mourinho and other top names in football.

Rodriguez, who is valued at £50m, has not been the preferred first choice player at Real Madrid, despite the numerous injuries faced by Gareth Bale this season. He has been able to perform whenever called upon. Rodriguez has scored six goals and created six in 18 league appearances, with only 10 of those appearances being from the start. Capable of playing across the front three or even in the midfield, the player’s versatility will appeal to Jose Mourinho, who is not a stranger when it comes to using players across different positions.

While Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season do remain in major doubt, Rodriguez will be happy to see himself linked with United. The Red Devils will be able to offer more than his current £58,000 per week after tax wage. This is significantly lower than the rest of the Real Madrid squad. Even with all the taxes in Great Britain, Rodriguez is expected to receive well over double this figure. Manchester United have the biggest wage bill in the world with the club reportedly spending around £5.7 million on a player. Manchester United players earn just over £100,000 per week on an average.

Rodriguez, though, is not all about money, as he has just recently turned down a £95 million move to the Chinese Super League, where he was reportedly offered around £500,000 per week. Moving to United will let him become the star at Old Trafford, especially considering that Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic appear to be on the way out. The Colombian is also understood to want the ‘number 10’ shirt worn by skipper Rooney – who still has two years on his contract.




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