Had offers from Italy, China and Spain to leave Real Madrid, admits James Rodriguez

Rodriguez was even sent out on loan to Bayern Munich with the hopes that his luck would turn in Germany but two years later, the Bavarians opted against making the deal permanent. However, after returning from his loan spell last summer, the 28-year-old has revealed that he had offers from clubs in Italy, Spain and China but Real Madrid refused to let him sign for an unnamed Spanish side, which was his first choice. The midfielder also added that he refused the move to China because he believes he can still play for a top European side.

"There was a very good proposal from a Spanish team, which Real Madrid rejected. I'd prefer not to say the name of the team. I thought it was a done deal, but they didn't let me go to the club I wanted to join. They wanted me to go to another team,” Rodriguez said, reported Goal.

This season, after the Los Blancos opted not to sell him, the attacking midfielder has made only 14 appearances for the Santiago Bernabeu side with just two appearances in the Champions League. Injuries have prevented him from making more but reports indicated that a tiff between Zinedine Zidane and Rodriguez has also played a role. But the Colombian admitted that there is no problem between him and the Real Madrid boss as the two have a working relationship.