West Ham are interested in tabling a big money bid for Real Madrid star James Rodriguez, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
The Hammers are ambitiously planning a number of transfer swoops this summer as Slaven Bilic looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season at the Olympic Stadium.
Although a successful bid for the Real Madrid forward seems highly unlikely, it is expected that the 25-year-old will depart the Spanish giants this summer.
There are reports that the Colombian international is tempted by a switch to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Manchester United the other clubs reportedly interested in landing the 2014 World Cup star.
Rodriguez joined Real Madrid for a fee of around €80 million in 2014, making him the fourth most expensive player ever at the time. Los Blancos are looking to recoup a healthy proportion of the transfer fee they paid out for the player as they are asking for around €60 million. According to Marca, nobody has managed to table a bid of that amount just yet.
Whether the Hammers actually offer close to the €60 million Real want is unlikely considering the club’s preoccupation with signing a new striker. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hammers table a loan bid either, as it would offer Rodriguez a chance to get his career back on track in a team where he is guaranteed regular first team football.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez will be attracting the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs as he is world class. Although interest in the forward certainly shows ambition, this may be a step too far for the Hammers this summer.
