James Rodriguez has joined Bayern Munich from Real Madrid on a two-year loan deal, the Bundesliga champions have announced.
The Colombia international’s future at the Bernabeu had been in doubt after he was left out of Real’s squad for the Champions League final win over Juventus last month.
Manchester United had been linked with a move for the 25-year-old and his agent is also believed to have offered him to Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus.
But Rodriguez, who joined Real in 2014 for around £71m from Monaco, has opted for a move to German champions Bayern to play under former boss Carlo Ancelotti, who brought him to the Spanish capital.
“We’re delighted we’ve been able to complete this transfer,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“Signing James Rodríguez was our coach Carlo Ancelotti’s biggest wish, following their successful spell working together in Madrid.
“James is a very versatile player. He’s a goalscorer himself, he sets up a lot of goals and on top of that he’s great from set-pieces. There’s no question that this transfer further increases the quality in our team.”
Rodriguez moves to Bayern on a loan deal until June 30, 2019. He will sign his contract in Munich after successfully completing a medical.
A statement on Bayern’s website says the attacking midfielder will join his new team-mates on Sunday for Bayern’s 12-day Audi Summer Tour to China and Singapore.
Rodriguez rose to prominence after finishing top goal scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with six goals.
Those performances caught the eye of Real Madrid and since moving to the Bernabeu he has won the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice as well as the La Liga title.
He made 111 appearances for Real, scoring 36 goals and producing 41 assists.
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