Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Joe Gomez and James Rodriguez

Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez has reportedly emerged as a surprise transfer target for Real Madrid.

According to Diario Gol (h/t James Walters of the Daily Star) Los Blancos are seeking to restructure their defensive setup and are admirers of the youngster. The future of veteran defender Pepe is in doubt at the Santiago Bernabeu, with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign.

Gomez, just 19, has struggled for regular minutes this season, having recovered from a substantial injury layoff. However, the versatile defender signed a new five-year deal at Anfield earlier this year.

As relayed by Liverpool reporter Jack Lusby, upon signing the new deal, Gomez was excited about staying on Merseyside for many years yet:

After a bright start to life at Liverpool having joined from Charlton Athletic in 2015, Gomez suffered a serious knee injury that left him sidelined for 15 months. It means he’s only made 10 appearances for the club in total, with three coming in this season’s FA Cup.

He’s an exciting prospect, and it’s easy to see why he might have caught the eye of Madrid. However, even if Pepe were to explore pastures new at the end of the season, it’d be a big shock if Los Blancos were to move for Gomez.

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Manager Zinedine Zidane not only has Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Nacho to call upon, Jesus Vallejo is excelling on loan with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Per David Cartlidge of beIN Sports, Madrid have a lot of depth as a result:

A move to Madrid would appeal to any young player, but for Gomez, it would make little sense at this point. The Reds tyro’s immediate priority must be getting minutes for Liverpool’s under-23 team and forcing his way into Klopp’s plans for the 2017-18 season.

James Rodriguez Rumours

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According to Marca (h/t Sport Witness) Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho "rubs his hands" at the prospect of signing James Rodriguez from Real Madrid.

The Colombia international has been on the fringes of the Los Blancos team since Zidane took over as manager, and speculation has gathered pace over a potential exit as a result. Indeed, in the report, it’s stated that a throng of sides are considering a summer move for the 25-year-old.

Real Madrid recently paid tribute to their No. 10 on their Twitter feed, as he totted up a century of appearances for the club:

Although Rodriguez has found it difficult to cement a starting place in the Madrid XI with Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in situ, he is still a supreme talent.

As these numbers from Squawka Football show, despite his inactivity as of late, the playmaker remains one of Madrid’s most creative attackers:

Rodriguez has recently reiterated his commitment to the Madrid cause, insisting he would be happy to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu "forever," per AS (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC). However if United or a club of a similar calibre was to make a serious move for Rodriguez, then he’d surely be tempted by a transfer.

After all, the former Monaco man is far too skilled an operator to be sat on the bench week after week, as he possesses the quality to swing games singlehandedly.