Eriksen: Real Madrid ready to include James Rodríguez in deal
In a bid to lower Tottenham's asking price for Christian Eriksen, Madrid are thought to be keen to include James Rodríguez in the deal.
Real Madrid's pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen has taken a fresh twist, with Los Blancos now understood to be keen to offer a part-exchange deal involving James Rodríguez - whose future at Bayern Munich remains unresolved - in a bid to lower Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's starting price in talks over the Dane.
James has had tricky second year at Bayern
Currently in his second season on loan from Madrid at Bayern, who have a 42-million-euro purchase option on the midfielder, James had a positive first year in Germany but has endured trickier times in Bavaria since Niko Kovac took over as coach in July. Under the Croat, he has made only 12 appearances in all competitions - playing the full 90 minutes just once - in a campaign that has in part been hampered by ankle issues and a knee-ligament injury.
Arsenal, Juve, Napoli tracking James
Nevertheless, the Colombian's stock remains high throughout Europe, with his successful spells at Porto and Monaco, and his displays at the 2014 World Cup and in his first term at Madrid, still fresh in the memory. Indeed, a host of other clubs are thought to be eyeing the 27-year-old, including Arsenal (whose coach, Unai Emery, is a huge admirer), Juventus (where ex-Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is keen to link back up with him and Marcelo) and Napoli (he worked under Partenopei boss Carlo Ancelotti in his maiden season in Spain).
