Bayern delay may prompt Man Utd, Liverpool to move for Real star

Bayern Munich will take their time before deciding whether to sign on-loan midfielder James Rodriguez on a permanent basis.

The Colombia international, who has been strongly linked with both Liverpool and Manchester United in the past, has impressed since arriving from Real Madrid on a two-year loan deal last summer.

And while Bayern club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists that it was a good idea to sign the player on a temporary basis he admits that securing a permanent move may prove a little trickier.

“It was, originally, an idea of [Carlo] Ancelotti, and I think that it was a good idea,” Rummenigge told the club’s in-house TV channel.

“His future? The cards are on the table – he will be on loan for two years. Afterwards, there is an option that we can exercise.

“If I remember correctly, it’s [for] €42m, that’s not [a] small [amount of] money, although in the market you can see crazy numbers. But we will go with tranquillity and at the right time, which does not have to be soon, it does not have to be in 2018, we will make the decision.”

Bayern’s decision to wait and see what happens may prompt the Premier League duo to renew their interest in the player, with Mourinho in particular known to be a huge admirer of the playmaker’s talents.