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James Rodriguez, the Colombian star on everyone's lips this summer, could have been plying his trade at Old Trafford - had Manchester United not opted to sign Portuguese flop Bebe instead.
James has is the current World Cup leading goalscorer, despite not playing as as out-and-out striker, with five goals to his name already, scoring in every one of Colombia's matches thus far.
The Guardian report that the talented playmaker could have been signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for as little as £5million as a teenager, while playing in Argentina for Club Atletico Banfield.
Top 10 goals of the 2014 World Cup
But while United were securing the services of strker Javier Hernandez, James' agents received no response from the Premier League giants, who pursued other options instead - most notably Bebe, who was signed for £7.4million.
Since then, James moved to Porto - where he won the Europa League under then boss Andre Villas-Boas - before his £38.5million move to Monaco last summer.
His performances have seen him linked with a summer switch to the Premier League, with Tottenham AND Manchester United believed to be interested, but it appears that the Old Trafford club have missed their opportunity, with the Colombian eyeing a move to La Liga, and in particular, to Real Madrid.
Speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, he said: "I would love to play in Spain," said James. "It would be a dream to play there - it is the best league in the world.
"I prefer Madrid to Barcelona."
