Chelsea fail with James Rodriguez loan bid

Chelsea are believed to have failed with an ambitious loan attempt for Colombian ace James Rodriguez. Real Madrid will only offload their player on a permanent basis this summer.

Rodriguez, 25, has struggled for regular playing time at the Bernabeu since Zinedine Zidane took over the reigns midway through the previous campaign.

According to The Mirror, the Blues had made a loan approach for the attacker only to see Los Blancos swiftly turn down their offer.

Antonio Conte's side were willing to pay an initial £5m sum for Rodriguez with a view to a permanent £60m deal at the end of the season.

However, this is not something which Los Blancos would favour, and they are content to keep hold of their asset for the campaign.

The Blues are on the search for defensive options this month, and this seems to have limited their budget in the attacking department.

League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United have been previously credited with interest for the forward-minded player.