Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is sure that James Rodriguez will be a Bayern Munich player next season, with Goal understanding that the club will activate their €42 million (£36m/$47m) purchase option to sign the playmaker.
The Colombia star arrived on loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017 and has enjoyed an up-and-down time with the Bundesliga champions.
A bright debut season saw him score seven goals and add 11 assists in 25 league games, but the 2018-19 campaign has seen him make less of a significant impact.
Under Niko Kovac, James has scored three goals and contributed three assists in 15 league games this term, and added a single assist in four Champions League matches.
With Bayern not havivng enjoyed their usual domestic dominance in the current season, with the Bavarians currently level on points with Dortmund at the top of the table, there has been talk of an overhaul of the team this summer.
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James's future was therefore uncertain but Goal and SPOX understand that Bayern will activate their purchase option to buy James for €42m this summer.
And Rummenigge voiced his support for the player, indicating that he expects the midfielder will remain at Bayern heading into the 2019-20 campaign.
"I strongly believe that he will play for FC Bayern next season," he told Münchner Abendzeitung.
Used as a substitute in Bayern’s first two games after the winter break, James has returned to the starting XI for each match since, registering all three of his Bundesliga assists this season over that period.
And Rummenigge believes Kovac trusts James as much as he does, and attempted to remove any doubt of the club’s belief in the playmaker.
"I am still a big fan of James and I am sure that coach Kovac sees his qualities the way I do and that he is very happy with him," he added.
"We have to use the option before June 15. I have to make it clear that everybody here is happy with him."
Bayern remain second in the Bundesliga table to rivals Borussia Dortmund, but have erased the deficit entirely and now sit level on points, trailing only by an inferior goal difference.
The Bavarians will host Wolfsburg on Saturday at the Allianz Arena, followed by the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Liverpool on Wednesday.
Bayern will be hoping their home area will give them the edge against their Premier League opponents, as the tie still hangs in the balance at 0-0 following the first leg.
