Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama believes his compatriot James Rodriguez will not return to Real Madrid once his loan deal expires at Bayern Munich.

The 27-year-old moved to the Bavarians in July 2017 on a two-year temporary deal with the German giants having the option of buying the attacking midfielder for €42 million at the end of this season.

In his three seasons at Los Blancos, James won one La Liga and two Champions League titles and ex-midfielder Valderrama, who is Colombia’s most-capped player with 111 caps, believes the Spaniards made a mistake to let him go.

“James looks good, happy at Bayern Munich,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN. “If he has not come back to Real Madrid so far, I do not think he’ll ever come back.

“What James did the first year with Ancelotti was huge because when he arrived at Real Madrid nobody thought he was going to do what he did. I knew it because I’ve known him for a long time and had a lot of faith in him. He had a great season.

“What happened later was strange. I did not understand it and in Colombia, we do not understand it either.”