Real Madrid Transfer News: James Rodriguez Encourages Radamel Falcao to Join

James Rodriguez has reached out to fellow Colombian international and former Monaco and Porto teammate Radamel Falcao, urging him to join Real Madrid this summer.

The 23-year-old completed an €80 million switch from the French Riviera last month, and spoke to Spanish newspaper AS this week, imploring his compatriot to follow suit:

Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football provides quotes from the interview, with Rodriguez speaking of his playing history alongside Falcao and his desire to work with the striker at the Santiago Bernabeu:

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I’m sure he can play there. But I’m not the one who decides whether or not he’s going. It’s up to the president. It may be because he has quality and a winning attitude. I’ve been playing with him for four years. The only break was when he went to Atletico. He has a winning mentality and that’s what you want at Madrid. Hopefully he can come.

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Following Alvaro Morata's sale to Juventus, Karim Benzema is Carlo Ancelotti's only senior striker, although Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have both played there in the past and are attacking powerhouses in their own right.

Simon Jones of the Daily Mail writes that Benzema is on the brink of penning a new three-year deal in the Spanish capital, but Los Merengues may still look to add another superstar option as they prepare to defend their Champions League title.

Fernando Vergara/Associated Press

Jones also claims Real are interested in a season-long loan for Falcao worth £10 million, a temporary move organised so that they might analyse his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in January.

However, Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC doesn't believe the South American's knee will be in any shape to justify a transfer of such magnitude this summer:

Having already spent big in signing Rodriguez, the European champions could look to sell Angel Di Maria in order to fund the move, according to Goal.com, with the winger supposedly boasting a price tag in excess of £45 million:

Real Madrid would also savour the thought of bringing in Falcao not just for his prowess in front of goal, but also due to the forward's past with bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, for whom he scored 68 goals over the course of two seasons, per Soccerbase.

Having seen Los Rojiblancos revel in their La Liga glory last season, Falcao's capture would serve as a small victory of its own, with the Madrid giants set to clash in August's Spanish Supercup.

Eduardo Di Baia/Associated Press

Monaco certainly won't be open to the idea of losing the prolific forward who was so essential to their success in the first half of last season's Ligue 1 campaign prior to his injury.

What's more, his presence will be coveted as the French giants return to the Champions League this season, having secured a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last term.

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Rodriguez arrived at Porto in 2010, a year after Falcao made his switch from River Plate, and it was at the Estadio do Dragao that the pair first exploded onto the European scene.

If Real can come to an agreement with Monaco this summer, be it temporary or permanent, the pair could create magic together once again, this time on a much grander scale.