Until now, James Rodriguez's future is still tied to Qatari football. However, several rumors in recent weeks would be putting him back in Europe. Most are rumors, but between one and the other, according to certain sectors of the European press, there could be some truth. Everything could indicate that the Colombian would be playing his last matches with Al-Rayyan. His agent, Jorge Mendes, would already be preparing to receive offers.
According to some Turkish media, two teams from that country would be interested in having the services of the 10th of the Colombian national team. These are the two biggest in that football: Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. Apparently, the managers of both teams would have already met with the player's agent to find out the real conditions and possibilities of signing. However, Al-Rayyan has not commented on this matter.
At the age of 31, James would be one of the most valuable footballers in the Turkish league. His pass would cost between 16.00 and 20.00 million euros. The Qatari team arrived in September 2021, having left Everton from England. He has been present in 12 of the 20 matches his team has played so far and has 4 goals and 7 assists, as well as 4 yellow cards. The cucuteño has already stated that he would like to leave football in that country and was willing to evaluate any offer. According to the Transfermarkt portal, he is among the 20 most valuable players in his selection and in the top 50 in his position. He is the most valuable of his team and in the Qatar league.
Galatasaray, a club that has already had Colombian players such as Faryd Mondragón and, recently, Falcao García, would be willing to offer around 17.00 million euros for James. For its part, Fenerbahce, who has not had coffee footballers in its ranks, would not pay more than 15.00 million euros. Officially, the figures and details of the talks between managers and Jorge Mendes are not yet known. Everything seems to be in the field of speculation.
The truth is that the Colombian wants to return to Europe and has already been linked to several teams. At the time there was talk of AC Milan and even Juventus in Turin. Recently, Atlético de Madrid sounds like a candidate. The player misses the city and would not see Spanish football with bad eyes, even if that implies that he renounces the salary he currently earns. It is said that Diego Simeone would have spoken about it and believes that there is still football in the player to exploit. According to him, it would not have reached his best version yet.
If his transfer to Turkish football was completed, he would be another star Colombian player to play in this league. Some of the names that have passed through this country are:
Faryd Mondragon
The Caleño is one of the most remembered Colombian players in Turkey, he was Galatasaray's goalkeeper for six years, playing 185 games. He won two league titles and one cup title.
Gustavo Victoria
The right-back joined Galatasaray in 2001, coming from Deportivo Cali. He played 22 games and was crowned league champion in the same year.
Oscar Cordoba
The remembered Boca Juniors goalkeeper came to Besiktas in 2002, where he played for four years. He played 99 games.
Jersson Gonzalez
In 2002 he played for Galatasaray, but quickly disengaged and ended up joining River Plate, in Argentina.
Juan Pablo Pino
The talented player who shone in Colombia's youth teams and played for French Monaco, took part in Turkey in 2010 to join Galatasaray. He played 19 games and scored three goals.
Robinson Zapata
The former goalkeeper of Millonarios and Santa Fe, came to the Turkish league in 2011 to join Galatasaray. He played about 20 games and was later relegated to the bench.
Pedro Franco
The current defender of Fortaleza, played for Besiktas in two periods (2013 and 2016), played 39 games, and scored one goal.
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