James Rodriguez is an in-his-prime international talent three years removed from winning the Golden Boot at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. And according to Barcelona-based football magazine Don Balon, he could be heading to Major League Soccer next season.
Rodriguez has been on loan with Bayern Munich this season, but his future there appears muddled after the dismissal of coach Carlo Ancelotti last month. And the 26-year-old Colombian doesn't appear in Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane's future plans either, seeing his playing time decrease in each of the two previous La Liga seasons.
As a result, Don Balon reports he could be headed to MLS as early as this winter, potentially to replace the definitely leaving Kaká at Orlando City SC or the potentially departing David Villa at New York City FC.
German weekly Sport Bild expresses considerable doubt that Rodriguez would leave Europe, and there is little precedent for a player of his stature arriving in MLS so young. The closest examples include current Toronto FC talisman Sebastian Giovinco's move to MLS before the 2015 season, and the subsequent arrivals of Mexican stars Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos and Carlos Vela in Southern California.
Rodriguez occupies an even higher rung on the global football ladder than any of those considerable talents. And whether it comes to fruition or not, that a credible outlet places MLS as a potential landing spot is certainly intriguing.
