London, July 8: Chelsea might have lost to Manchester United in the race to sign Everton striker Romelu Lukaku but they are in pole position for a perfect revenge. Reports are claiming that the Blues are ahead of the Red Devils in the pursuit of Real Madrid star James Rodriguez.
The Colombian has attracted interest from a number of clubs this summer after a frustrating season at the Bernabeu, in which he started only in 13 La Liga games.

The Colombian featured just 30 times for Real Madrid in all competitions this season, most of them from the bench though and it is quite understandable he is looking for a way out of Madrid.
Spanish media house AS claimed Chelsea are prepared to table a significant bid for Rodriguez. AS also noted he was close to joining Chelsea last winter when Oscar moved to China. However, the playmaker decided to remain with Real until the end of the campaign.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of the talented playmaker and is looking to bring the 25-year-old to add further creativity to his side.
Zinedine Zidane is believed to be ready to offload the Colombian should a suitable offer arrive and Chelsea are ready to step up their interest.
AS also claim Real Madrid are looking to do business with Chelsea rather than Manchester United as they are not happy with the Red Devils following the David De Gea saga last season and their interest in Alvaro Morata.
OneIndia News