West Ham tipped to join Chelsea and Manchester United in hunt for James Rodriguez
West Ham have been named in the Spanish press as one of three Premier League clubs chasing Real Madrid star James Rodriguez.
The Colombian moved to Real Madrid from Monaco for around £63m two years ago after starring at the World Cup where he finished top scorer with six goals.
Yet the 25-year-old endured an inconsistent campaign at the Bernabeu last season and was left on the bench for the Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid.
According to Madrid newspaper Marca, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is said to have been dissatisfied with Rodriguez's attitude and commitment and is now willing to listen to offers for Rodriguez, with "nouveau riche" West Ham named as one suitor prepared to stump up a huge fee for the player.
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Yet they may have to fight off the financial muscle of Manchester United, whose manager Jose Mourinho is represented by Rodriguez's agent Jorge Mendes, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain who are also reported to be interested in the attacking midfielder.
West Ham have so far spent £15m in this summer's transfer window and have already made three acquisitions in attacking areas with wingers Sofiane Feghouli and Gokhan Tore as well as playmaker Manuel Lanzini all joining Slaven Bilic's squad.
Premier League clubs are expected to break transfer spending records this summer ahead of a new £8bn broadcast deal which will guarantee clubs between £100m – £160m in prize money.
Yet West Ham are expecting a bigger revenue boost than most of their rivals as they move into the 60,000 capacity Olympic Stadium.
They were named as the 20th richest club in the world last season and the Hammers are expected to dramatically increase match-day earnings while paying just £2.5m a year in rent.