James Rodriguez was extremely unlucky not to have won the Golden Ball ahead of eventual winner Lionel Messi; but that has not stopped suitors from lining up in their numbers for the exciting playmaker's signature.
With Real Madrid and Barcelona, two of the biggest clubs in the world, already showing their interest, a third equally massive club have joined the "we want Rodriguez in our lineup" ranks with Manchester United reportedly readying a bid for the Colombia international.
Real Madrid are thought to be the favourites to sign Rodriguez from Monaco this summer, but Louis Van Gaal has seemingly already got across his targets to executive vice-chairman, with United making a massive £63 million bid, according to the Daily Express.
Van Gaal will have to use all of his persuasive powers to tempt Rodriguez to move to Old Trafford this summer, with United not having any European competition, let alone the Champions League, in the upcoming season.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will enter next season's Champions League as the holders – not a great sign actually, as no team have defended their title in the UCL era – with Rodriguez recently also admitting his love for the Los Blancos.
"I would go to Madrid with my eyes closed," he told Marca a few days back. "I respect other teams, but playing for Real Madrid is the dream of my life."
United are not short on funds in this summer window -- it will only get better in the coming years following their record £750 million kit deal with Adidas -- and do have the ability to match a large fee which the likes of Real are likely to pay. However, the lack of Champions League football will hamper them, undoubtedly.
Also, Van Gaal has plenty of players in his squad to fill the No.10 role – Rodriguez's preferred position – with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa all most comfortable playing behind the central striker.
But then, there is always room in any squad for quality players, and Rodriguez, as he showed so spectacularly at the World Cup, striking six goals, has quality written all over him.
At 23, Rodriguez, who only moved to Monaco from Porto last summer, can only get better, making him an even better option for the interested clubs.
Real, though, remain in pole position to sign Rodriguez from Monaco, but before they are able to strike a deal with the French club, they need to offload a player or two to create enough funds and find room in the squad.
That is where United and Angel Di Maria could come in. Van Gaal is reportedly keen on signing the seriously underrated Argentina midfielder, and with Real willing to sell, a deal could be struck.
United's bid attempt to sign Rodriguez could also be a ploy to fashion an early sale from Real for Di Maria, who has also been heavily linked with Paris Saint Germain.
