Rodriguez keen on La Liga, Real Madrid

Colombia forward James Rodriguez has talked up a move to La Liga and in particular Real Madrid.

- Tabarez compares Rodriguez to Maradona, Messi and Suarez

- Worswick: Rodriguez carries Colombian dreams
- Marcotti: Colombia exorcise ghosts against Uruguay

Rodriguez, 22, currently plays for Monaco but his reputation has taken a sharp upturn after five goals in four games for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup.

His latest display, which saw him score twice as Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0 to book a quarterfinal meeting with hosts Brazil made him the outright top scorer in the tournament.

In an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, Rodriguez revealed a desire to play in the Primera Division.

"I would love to play in Spain," he said. "It would be a dream to play there as we are talking about the best league in the world."

With Real Madrid and Barcelona the two most likely destinations for a player of Rodriguez's stature, he expressed a preference for one over the other, saying: "I prefer Real Madrid to Barcelona." 

Meanwhile, a report in the Guardian claims that Rodriguez was offered to Manchester United for as little as five million pounds in 2010.

Rodriguez had begun to show signs of promise in Argentina with Club Atletico Banfield but intermediaries who contacted United regarding the player did not receive any response.