James Rodriguez: Chelsea say £60million is too much for Real Madrid star
£60million Colombia ace looking for a move to the Prem after admitting that he could leave Real Madrid in January
CHELSEA claim they are NOT in the race to sign James Rodriguez.
The Colombian ace is thought to favour a move to Stamford Bridge after admitting he could quit Real Madrid.
But SunSport understands that table-toppers Blues feel that Rodriguez is overvalued at the £60million mark which Los Blancos are demanding.
The club splashed out on deals for N'Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi within the £30m bracket over the summer.
And a move for Rodriguez would shatter the £50m they shelled out to bring in Fernando Torres from Liverpool.
They are unwilling to spend that kind of money on one player, who would not fit in with boss Antonio Conte's current system.
Conte has deployed a back-three, with water-tight midfield duo N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic allowing Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to run riot alongside either Willian or Pedro.
Rodriguez is not suited to playing wing-back, and would offer little added value to the forward line for£60m.
The player fuelled talk that a move to the Premier League could be in the offing when Colombian press reported that he had been spotted at the British Embassy in Bogota.
A move to Manchester United could still materialise in January, however.
Jose Mourinho is desperate to land a world-class No10 to play as a link between star signings Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Red Devils boss has prioritised landing Antoine Griezmann in a £60m deal from Atletico this summer and the club have instructed a leading agent to open talks.
But a deal to snare Rodriguez from Atletico's rivals Real may appeal if it can be done in January.
United sit four points back from fourth-placed Arsenal going into Christmas, with the club viewing the possibility of another season away Champions League football as disastrous.