James Rodriguez wanted to join Atletico Madrid but was denied the opportunity to by Real Madrid, the Colombia international’s stepfather has said.
The No.10 has rarely featured for Zinedine Zidane’s side this season, having had a stop-start campaign on loan at Bayern Munich on loan previously.
He spoke up about the club's refusal to grant him a move to his favoured destination last summer but remained coy as to the identities of the clubs who were after him.
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Juan Carlos Restrepo has lifted the lid on the potential deals, stating that the player favoured a switch across town to Los Blancos’ rivals – a desire that was snubbed by his employers.