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Real Madrid transfer news: Colombia star contacted DURING World Cup, could replace James
REAL MADRID have reportedly approached a Colombia player during the World Cup, having been impressed by his performances.
Columbia playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero has caught the eye of Real scouts in Russia this summer.
Spanish newspaper AS claim new Real manager Julen Lopetegui has been a fan of Quintero since their time together at Porto.
And the former Spain boss, who joined Real on the eve of the World Cup, wants Quintero at the Bernabeu.
That is according to AS, who say Lopetegui is already making his mark on Real’s transfer plans.
Quintero joined Porto in 2013 and played 30 games under Lopetegui before the manager left.
He is currently on loan at River Plate, who have a £3.5m clause in place should they want to make the deal permanent.
Real, AS claim, will therefore have to negotiate with both Porto and River Plate to secure a deal.
But should he arrive at the Bernabeu this summer it will almost certainly end Colombia team-mate James Rodriguez’s Real Madrid career.
Rodriguez secured a move to Spain on the back of his excellent 2014 World Cup campaign but struggled to get game time, eventually moving to Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal last summer.
Rodriguez is due to return to the Spanish capital at the end of next season, although Real Madrid may hope to offload the playmaker for good before then.