In barely six months, James Rodriguez's two-year loan deal with Bayern Munich will be exhausted. Having joined the Bavarian from Real Madrid in 2017, the 27-year-old contributed seven goals and 11 assists to his side's triumphant league campaign last season.
Nonetheless, the arrival of Niko Kovac as Bayern Munich's new manager and a knee ligament injury has hampered the playing chances of the 2014 World Cup top-goalscorer this season. Prior to being ruled out of action for the rest of the year, James Rodriguez scored three goals in five appearances for Bayern in the Bundesliga.
Although reports in recent times suggest that the Colombian star has fallen out with his manager as well as the Bayern Munich hierarchy and, as a result, will be signed on a permanent basis, the attacker maintains that he is interested in staying at the club.
"My starting position compared to last year is of course completely different. Under the new coaching staff, I do not play that much anymore, James reportedly said as per SportBild during a meeting with fans.
"It is a difficult situation for me, but the season is still long. I cannot promise anything. If I have to go because I do not play, then I'll go.
"I'd like to stay because I feel the love of the fans here in Munich, and actually the entire Bayern family.
"I feel very good right now. I want to be fully match fit in one to two weeks."
With his parent club Real Madrid only finding its mojo under the supervision of new manager Santiago Solari following a tough start to the season, a move back to Santiago Bernabeu for James cannot be overruled. The attacker's return will be a huge boost for Los Blancos who have, in recent games, struggled to score a lot of goals following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
