According to reports in the Daily Mail, Chelsea are yet to make an official offer for Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez and now look resigned to having to wait until the summer to get their man.
 

Blues boss Antonio Conte was keen to try to bring in the 25-year-old Colombian in January and was even considering talking the player on an initial loan-deal. The Spanish giants however, would be reluctant to part with a player who is reportedly desperate to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, as they are unable to do any business in the winter transfer window.
 

The journal has also stated that the Champions League holders may even seek to do an audacious swap deal with the Premier League side involving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at the end of the current campaign. Chelsea however, are believed to not be too keen on this arrangement, preferring to match Real’s current asking price of £60 million for a player who has disappointed since his arrival in Spain in 2014.


Steve Mitchell @barafundler