Serie A giant Inter Milan have reportedly sent scouts to watch James Rodriguez of Real Madrid as the Spanish sides take on Sporting in the Champions League.
Calciomercato reports that Inter sent Mario Corso to get a report on two prospects Rodriguez and Sporting Clube de Portugal’s Gelson Martins. Both players are the targets for the Milan-based outfit next season.
The Suning Group – owners of Inter – have pencilled Rodriguez as one of the club’s top target as they seek to rebuild the team. Reports in Italy say the club is willing to add one of two top stars to the squad, and the Columbia international gets the nod as he has been on their target list for long. Inter made a last minute bid of €85 million for the player on the transfer deadline last summer but the player refused to agree to the move. With Rodriguez dropping in Coach Zinedine Zidane’s priority list at the Bernabeu, he might be forced to agree to a move away from Madrid at the end of the season.
Reports say Inter are trying again as they feel the player can be convinced to agree to a move away from Santiago Bernabeu under a Zidane management. In the Real Madrid camp, Inter also want Mateo Kovacic but the player has gradually gained relevance in the current set-up.
After the last game between Madrid and Sporting, interests in Martins skyrocketed, as the 21-year old impressed. Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United are some of the top clubs that are watching the player. Sporting renewed the deal with Martins last term with the intent of keeping him until 2021. The new deal saw his buy-out clause rise to €60 million, making him one of the most prized young players around. Reports in Portugal seem to agree that the youngster could be playing in another club next season as interests in him persists.