Colombian legend Tino Asprilla has blasted Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane over his treatment of James Rodriguez.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all in contact with James' minders this week.
Newcastle legend Asprilla is furious over Los Blancos boss Zidane's treatment of his compatriot.
Asprilla said: “Let James be able to say 'put me on three or four games straight', if he is not good enough and he plays badly, take him off and send him to the Castilla or some other team, but give him the opportunity.
“When he arrived at Real Madrid with (Carlo) Ancelotti, they gave him that chance and it's no coincidence that with the Italian he played better than when Zidane arrived and he played badly.
“We are talking about the top goalscorer from the last World Cup. One has to have a bit of patience and respect.
“Karim Benzema has six, seven years at Real Madrid and they should have sent him back to Lyon, but he battled it out and they waited for him.
“For James he has lacked that confidence from Zidane and he needs a little bit more respect."