Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on James Rodriguez, John Stones Rumours

Real Madrid star James Rodriguez is once again being linked with a move to Manchester United, with Spanish reports saying the Colombia international is being “forced out” due to the emergence of Marco Asensio.

Meanwhile, Everton's John Stones is reportedly still on manager Jose Mourinho's wishlist.

According to Spanish daily Marca (h/t the Daily Express' James Cambridge), Asensio's fine pre-season form after a year-long loan with Espanyol has caught the eye on manager Zinedine Zidane, opening the door for a transfer move for Rodriguez.

The report states Real turned down a £71 million approach from United earlier this window, but with Asensio set to take on a bigger role, Los Blancos are now open to selling the 2014 FIFA World Cup hero.

TONY DING/Associated Press

The 25-year-old suffered a sharp fall from grace last season, as an injury took him out of Real's starting XI early in the campaign and he never returned to form. New manager Zidane didn't seem to trust the star midfielder and team-mate Isco, even opting to start the unheralded Lucas Vazquez over the duo toward the end of the season.

And while the two were struggling, Asensio was making a fine impression on loan at Espanyol. The Catalans struggled as a team, but the former RCD Mallorca man was one of the few standouts, living up to his billing as one of Spain's top young talents.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

The youngster has been excellent during pre-season as well, and while most fans and the people running the show at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu probably thought another loan move was inevitable, that no longer appears to be the case.

Zidane told AS (h/t Football Espana) he'd like to keep Asensio with the squad:

"

We’re talking about that. We only have a short time but we’re going to see in Madrid and make a decision. Marco is a Madrid player and the idea I have is that he is in the group, because that is also what the player wants.

But this is what we are talking about because there’s a lot to talk about with all the players. Until [August 31] anything can happen.

"

Asensio's presence doesn't automatically mean Rodriguez becomes expendable, but it's yet another indication the former AS Monaco man may not have a real future under Zidane.

He's already in line to battle Isco for playing time, and if both Vazquez and Asensio also become a part of the mix, cashing in while his value is still high becomes a real possibility. Rodriguez likely won't net Los Blancos the reported fee of £71 million, but any fee close to £60 million would be a fine return for a player who isn't in the team's long-term plans.

United have already splashed the cash this summer and probably won't spend another monstrous fee on an attacking player, but Rodriguez is too good a player to pass up, and he would be the cherry on top of what has been a fine window.

He's not the only player who continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, as ESPN FC (h/t the Daily Mirror's Aaron Flanagan) reported that Mourinho still wants to bring longtime target Stones to the club.

The England international has mostly been linked with rivals Manchester City, but according to the report, Mourinho is keen to add to his defensive options, and a late £50 million swoop could be a possibility.

As shared by Bleacher Report UK, City haven't made a secret of their interest:

While it would be tempting to beat City in the race to sign a highly rated youngster, Stones' valuation has quickly taken on ridiculous proportions. The youngster is a talented prospect who could have a big future, but as of right now, he's still an inexperienced defender prone to making mistakes.

Per WhoScored.com, those mistakes were frequent last season:

Investing in young talent is never a bad thing, but £50 million is an absurd amount of money for a player who has shown clear signs of weakness and likely won't help the team win the title this season.

A young starlet like Aymeric Laporte would only cost the club £2 million more should he be willing to leave Athletic Bilbao, per Samuel Stevens of the Independent. Others could be available, and for a lot less than £50 million.