BOGOTA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez has revealed that Real Madrid spurned an offer to allow him to join another Spanish club.
The 28-year-old said Madrid received the proposal last summer, upon his return from a two-year loan at Bayern Munich.
"There was a very good proposal from a Spanish team, which Real Madrid rejected. I'd prefer not to say the name of the team," Rodriguez told Colombian news outlet Gol Caracol on Tuesday.
"I thought it was a done deal. But they didn't let me go to the club I wanted to join. They wanted me to go to another team."
Rodriguez, who is contracted to Madrid until June 2021, said he had also received offers from clubs in Italy and China ahead of the current season.
The playmaker has appeared just 14 times across all competitions under manager Zinedine Zidane this season. He made his first league start since October in a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Rodriguez denied any rift with Zidane and said he understood the Frenchman's preference for players that were key in the club's three successive UEFA Champions League titles last decade.
"As I've said before, when you win trophies with players you trust and you have a settled team, it's difficult to change," he said. "It's also complicated when your manager doesn't give you minutes. It's hard to show what you can do.
"There hasn't been any kind of problem (with Zidane). Each manager has his preferences. We have a normal working relationship. I'm not one of the key players, that's clear. I'm training and working hard so that when my chance comes, I do well." Enditem
