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James Rodríguez and his possible destinations: from Galatasaray to Boca, Botafogo, PSV and more | Colombians Abroad

The future of James Rodríguez is pure uncertainty, even for him. If he had something concrete in his hands, he would not be making the resigned face that is seen in Al-Rayyan, where he arrived this Tuesday to join the group’s work.

He has a contract until 2024 and the last thing he needs if he wants to press his departure from Qatar is a labor conflict with the one who still pays him a salary that, according to unofficial sources, would be around 10 million dollars a year. In the end, it is what they call ‘a detail of fine coquetry’ to fulfill the basic terms of such an onerous agreement.

But it does not mean that James has resigned himself to being where he does not want to be, nor does it mean that the lack of an official announcement necessarily implies the absence of offers. He is a footballer with a market but with few options and in that he adds everything: his very high salary, his continuous injuries, the impossibility of assigning him brand tasks – a requirement in the main European leagues – and the lack of continuity and competition, which was especially noticeable in the last qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar, in which he could not make a difference despite having generated great expectations.

What if you have? Talent. And that, no matter how many years and erratic decisions go by, cannot be doubted. Few with his precision in passing and finishing, his vision of the game, his sense of smell. Few, despite the injuries, manage to arouse so much praise, although their football appears in drops. As Néstor Lorenzo, new DT of the Colombian National Team, said, that is not forgotten. But without a doubt it is necessary to refresh it and put it at the highest level, because the position in the tricolor is no longer guaranteed by good memories. For now, be patient.

The possible destinations have been several, all denied later or so fleeting that they were not even considered. Only once there was talk of money on the table but he is not interested: he wants to return to Europe, it is his plan A, B and C. Where will he go? That is yet to be told. Where would he go, that is if it fits in the realm of speculation:

To turquia
One of the first clubs to raise their hands for the left-hander was Galatasaray, the club from which Falcao left precisely because it was expensive (about 5 million euros per year, they say) and prone to injuries. If they couldn’t sustain that cost before, there’s hardly any reason to believe he can now.

England
In England there was talk a couple of months ago of the interest of West Ham United, a team that managed to qualify for the Conference League and was a great entertainer in the Premier League. Returning to the best league in the world is more than tempting, but the physical intensity of that game has already taken its toll on him once (at Everton) and only with will he could not reverse it.

To Spain
Valencia is the eternal possibility. It played when he was at Real Madrid, when he left Everton and it plays now. And it usually doesn’t go beyond that. It is said that the strategy is to mention the club to move the market a little, with the certainty that they will not deny it, thanks to the close friendship of the club’s owner, Peter Lim, with Jorge Mendes, the Colombian’s agent.

A Argentina
Boca Juniors was a fleeting summer romance, a couple of kisses on the beach and nothing more. For some reason the name was mentioned in Buenos Aires and the rumor spread rapidly across the continent. But, in black and white, Boca did not have and does not have the financial muscle for an operation of this magnitude. And if he does, it would be for another priority: Cavani or Vidal could offer a guarantee of continuity and box office: James would fulfill only one.

to Brazil
Botafogo may be the only team that, at this point, has put money on the table for James Rodríguez. And even so he is not sure of convincing him. According to the owner of the club, John Textor, there are 5 million dollars to keep the left-hander, because he knows that in terms of football and marketing he will be able to recover the investment soon. But he understands that James thinks more about Europe than Brazil: “I go after players who have a 2 percent chance of coming. If I dream of Cavani or James Rodríguez, I try them. Do you know how difficult it is to convince a top player in Europe that has no connection with Brazil for it to come?” he said.

To Netherlands
PSV was the flower of a day: a journalist said that they saw him at the headquarters undergoing medical tests and it seemed that this time, yes, that he would go to a young team as a rule but with local and European prominence. Unfortunately the source later retracted and that, which seemed ideal, vanished. In the end he will go to the Netherlands, but as part of Al-Rayyan’s pre-season… if he doesn’t find a definitive exit first.

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