I think is pretty sure we are after James and are serious about it.... the thing is to snatch him from Madrid.
A lot will depend on how much he pushes for us.... IF he is willing to push for us that is.
My honest opinion is that we will loan him with an option/mandatory clause to buy under certain circumstances at high price point. If he disappoints we will probably try to negotiate, but if he does well, we probably pay the 70MM or so. Beppe is making two purchases in January and probably won't want to buy yet. A loan with an option could allow us to make an outright purchase in the summer.
I could see something like.
5 million dollar loan + 65 euro option to buy. The option become mandatory if he plays 15 games. If he does ok, but is not amazing, maybe we try to negotiate. If he is incredible we activate the clause. It seems far-fetched to loan such a major player, but remember the deal for Cuadrado? A simple loan to buy is a normal operation for senor beppe.