Chelsea in negotiations to sign South American, £60.4m fee touted

Chelsea are believed to be interested in signing Real Madrid star James Rodriguez this summer, with Spanish newspaper Sport suggesting that negotiations have already started on a potential €70 million (£60.4 million) deal.

The Blues have signed striker Michy Batshuayi and central midfield dynamo N’Golo Kante this summer so far, but the major overhaul expected upon Antonio Conte’s arrival has not yet happened.

Rodriguez was one of the stars of the World Cup in 2014 and earned a blockbuster move to Real Madrid as a consequence of his standout performances in Brazil.

However, as the Spanish capital city side have changed managers, the Colombia international’s importance at the Santiago Bernabeu has been negatively impacted.

Real Madrid have told James Rodriguez that he should look for a new club. [MARCA] #CFC pic.twitter.com/cejVIW4otd

— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) August 19, 2016

Zinedine Zidane prefers to use Luka Modric and Toni Kroos at the heart of his team, with other international stars such as Isco, Mateo Kovacic and Casemiro in contention for a start also.

Chelsea would need to break the bank to land Rodriguez but his signing would certainly announce that the Stamford Bridge club mean business this season.

Should the South American ace arrive, it would cast real doubts over Cesc Fabregas’ future with the London club.