Juventus continue to be linked with Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez, with the latest reports from Germany stating he could make the move to Turin as early as January. 

Bild (h/t Football Italia) reported the Bianconeri lead the charge for Rodriguez ahead of "several Premier League clubs." Rai Sport (h/t Jack Otway of the Express) previously linked the Italian champions with the Colombia international.

Rodriguez is currently on loan at Bayern from Real and Bild reported the Germans have reservations about using their option of €32.5 million to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

That would be a major surprise as the 27-year-old has mostly been a success at the Allianz Arena, rediscovering his best form in Germany after a difficult spell in Spain. Rodriguez has previously talked about staying at Bayern, telling reporters he is happy in Bavaria, per AS.

He has bagged three goals in seven total Bundesliga appearances this season while scoring seven and adding 11 assists last year.

His form has dipped somewhat under new manager Niko Kovac, coinciding with the team's struggles as a whole. Bayern have won their last two matches to climb back up the Bundesliga standings but suffered through a mini-crisis before the international break.

Rodriguez and Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo are both represented by Jorge Mendes, who also brought Joao Cancelo to Turin in the summer. Both the Cancelo and Ronaldo deals have worked out splendidly so far, so it would stand to reason Mendes could push Rodriguez in the same direction should he wish to leave Bayern.

He and Ronaldo combined well during their time in Madrid and Juventus have gone all-in on the 2018-19 campaign, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they tried to add yet another weapon to their arsenal.

But it would make little sense for Bayern not to use their option even if they didn't plan on keeping the Colombian, acquiring his full rights so they can sell him on for a profit. Juventus just smashed their transfer record to bring in Ronaldo, and they likely couldn't afford his former team-mate in January or summer.

For Bayern there's no reason to part with Rodriguez in January as they've already paid the loan fee for the whole season.