Arsenal: Get out of here with that James Rodriguez transfer talk

LISBON, PORTUGAL - SEPTEMBER 19: James Rodriguez of Bayern Munich looks on prior to the Group E match of the UEFA Champions League between SL Benfica and FC Bayern Muenchen at Estadio da Luz on September 19, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
LISBON, PORTUGAL - SEPTEMBER 19: James Rodriguez of Bayern Munich looks on prior to the Group E match of the UEFA Champions League between SL Benfica and FC Bayern Muenchen at Estadio da Luz on September 19, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal are being tied to James Rodriguez, and it’s not for the first time, but it might be the most outrageous link that we’ve ever had.

Arsenal‘s January has a lot of talk buzzing about and, true to form, the talk is either underwhelming or it is ridiculous and over the top. As it stands, the only players that are being linked are creative midfielders.

Which, had you said that at the start of the season, would have gotten you laughed at. The creative attacking midfield is supposed to be one of the strongest parts of this club. You start throwing around the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, not to even mention Alex Iwobi, and you can see why there was a ton of confidence in it.

But with Ramsey leaving, Ozil being Ozil, Mkhitaryan hurt and Iwobi just one man, still maturing, mind you, it makes sense that the players being linked are creative attacking midfielders. Denis Suarez is totally feasible. James Rodriguez? Not so much.

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This isn’t the first time that James has been linked to the Gunners and I’m sure it won’t be the last. The Colombian midfielder is displeased with his stay at Bayern Munich (seems to happen rather often) and is looking for an out.

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The problem is, that out would cost the Gunners£63m at a minimum.

There are some reports out there claiming that a bid has been made and accepted, but let me go ahead and go out on a limb (not really) and say that no bid has been made, let alone accepted. Unless there is some fantastic, sensational swap that sees Ozil going the opposite way, or Ramsey completing his deal, with three high-profile Arsenal stars being sold simultaneously as James comes in but… that isn’t happening.

James has been wanting to get out of Bayern for awhile and the Emirates has been frequently touted as the perfect landing zone, but the main thing standing in the way is the fact that there are so many others like James already here.

Until we start clearing out the runway, James can’t come. Not for that fee anyway. It’s crazy to even think about.

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Now if you want to start talking about the summer, when Ramsey is gone, and the sponsorship deal is paying dividends, maybe we can cut Ozil loose, then we can talk about James. But in January? Not a chance.