Chelsea Football Club faced a huge transfer blow in their pursuit of Real Madrid star James Rodriguez as La Liga giants Real Madrid have reportedly asked a whopping £70 million for his services. Given the underwhelming season that the Colombian international had at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was also littered with occasional injuries, the London club is highly unlikely to splurge that kind of amount for him.
The playmaker has been one of the high-profile buys for Los Blancos back in 2014 after his World Cup heroics and the 25-year-old has been one of their more impactful performers whenever he has played, However, with the emergence of Zinedine Zidane’s new Galacticos side that secured their second Champions League title on the trot, Rodriguez has hardly any place.
Following the limited number of La Liga appearances throughout the season, he was also left out of the Champions League final squad, which was the final nail in the coffin. As per reports, he has already been asked to leave the side but Real are willing to squeeze out profit from his sale, which is quite difficult given his star stature and young age.
Antonio Conte is in desperate need of quality creators in his side but has refused to pay that kind of price for him. Here are 3 alternatives they can opt for-
Hakan Calhanoglu- The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has been on Chelsea’s radar for a long time now, but a move has never materialised. Now, with archrivals Arsenal making a move for the player, the Blues can reignite their interest in the player yet again. The 23-year-old Turkish international has been one of Bundesliga’s best midfielders but hasn’t played since February following a four months ban.
Like Cesc Fabregas, he can provide some of the most delightful balls from the deep midfield and would be a long-term inclusion for the Blues.
Ross Barkley- Probably the most ideal of the three options to take up the playmaking role in Stamford Bridge, the Everton man looks all set to leave Goodison Park this summer following his stalling of any kind of contract extension talks. He was a star player for the Toffees with seven goals and nine assists and could join the first team directly.
Lorenzo Insigne- Chelsea manager, Conte, is well acquainted with his abilities from his Serie A days. The Napoli attacking midfielder is one of the emerging talents of Italy and has been phenomenal last season with 20 goals and 12 assists for the Serie A club. At 26, he is at the peak of his game and could be a brilliant addition for the Blues alongside Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
