James Rodríguez to become free agent after León deal ends

James Rodriguez is set to leave Leon after the Mexican side decided not to renew the Colombian midfielder's contract, club president Jesus Martinez said on Tuesday.

The announcement came three days after Leon lost 2-1 at home to Puebla in the final round of the Liga MX Apertura regular season. The result left Leon 17th in the 18-team standings and outside the playoff spots.

"We spoke with him and reached an agreement that his contract had been fulfilled," Martinez told newspaper Record.

James scored five goals and provided nine assists in 34 games across all competitions for Leon following his arrival on a free transfer in January.

"His contract ended. We are very grateful that he was here. He is a historic player. For Colombia, he is like [Lionel] Messi in Argentina or Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal," Martinez added.

James has been capped 120 times for Colombia in a career that has included spells at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Monaco and Porto, among other clubs