Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has claimed Antonio Conte will be mistaken by signing James Rodriguez.
The Blues are heavily linked with a move for the Colombian midfielder with reports that Conte views him as a replacement for China-bound Oscar, although reports in Spain have it that Real Madrid are stalling on the sale of the midfielder next month but will be ready for talks next summer.
James Rodriguez also revealed that he was open to offers in January and it is believed that he has fallen out with Real boss Zinedine Zidane due to his lack of chances at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Cascarino has warned the Premier League leaders about moving for the Colombian international, calling him a ‘luxury player’.
He wrote in his column for The Times: ‘I don’t see which of England’s top six he would improve,
‘He is a luxury player and the top six teams don’t seem in a position to accommodate that type of acquisition.
‘Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and [Jose] Mourinho want their forward players to press and work hard from the front; Rodriguez doesn’t fit that mould.
‘Yes, Oscar is on his way to China and Rodriguez arguably has more talent than Pedro, but I don’t think he’d be as effective in Conte’s high-intensity 3-4-3 system.’
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