Transfer Centre

Stepfather: 'James Rodriguez should leave Real Madrid'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 09 June 2017

The stepfather of Real Madrid attacker James Rodriguez admits that he wants to see him leave the Bernabeu this summer in search of first-team action.

The stepfather of Real Madrid attacker James Rodriguez has admitted that he wants to see him leave the Bernabeu this summer.

The 25-year-old scored 11 times in all competitions for Los Blancos last term, but he was left out of the squad for the Champions League final against Juventus last weekend.

Manchester United, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with a move for the Colombian international, and Juan Carlos Restrepo has urged James to leave Real Madrid in search of first-team football.

"I like to watch my son playing but these are decisions that he has to make," Restrepo told Onda Cero. "If it were up to me, I would tell him to look for [a team] where he can play, where they value him more. But we have to think that Real Madrid are a top team and have treated him very well.

"The footballer is special, he is not happy if he is not on the pitch. I guess he had the illusion of playing the Champions League final but these are the circumstances. We have to accept them and keep working. I'm not aware [of his plans] because I respect the professionals who are around James.

"I do not ask what conversations he's had [with other clubs] but if it depended on me, I want to see him on the pitch. A talent like James has to be on the pitch."

Last weekend, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez revealed that head coach Zinedine Zidane would decide James's future.

The former AS Monaco player only started 13 La Liga matches during the 2016-17 campaign.