La Liga president Javier Tebas says he hopes Real Madrid do not sell James Rodriguez this summer as it is important that Spanish football does not lose its highest profile stars, but he played down the significance of Paul Pogba joining Manchester United.
Regular reports in Spain through the current transfer window have said Madrid were keen to sell James, who joined for €80 million in 2014, and even as coach Zinedine Zidane claimed he wanted to keep the Colombia international, Marca this week said an exit is just a matter of time.
The Premier League is reportedly the most likely destination for the 25-year-old World Cup 2014 Golden Boot winner, with English clubs having previously spent big on second-tier La Liga stars such as Mesut Ozil from Madrid, Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, and Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid.
Tebas said that even after reported Madrid target Pogba joined Manchester United this summer for a new world-record fee of £89.3 million (€105m), La Liga still had the most marketable names in Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
On whether he hopes James stays, he told AS: "Of course -- it is key to keep our stars here.
"Pogba did not come, and we will see what the Premier League does because here I don't know if he would even be able to play. What is dangerous is having stars like Neymar, Messi, Cristiano and Bale, and them leaving."
Pogba's move from Juventus means that for the first time since Luis Figo joined Madrid from Barcelona in 2000, the world's most expensive player is not at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have been uncharacteristically quiet this summer, with their only outlay the €30m rebuying Alvaro Morata from Juventus, and the club actually making a profit so far after Jese Rodriguez and Denis Cheryshev were sold to Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal respectively.
Barca have spent around €80m this summer, mostly to add depth to their squad with emerging youngsters such as Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti and Denis Suarez, and they remain in the market for a new centre-forward, with Valencia's Paco Alcacer reportedly a target.
Tebas said he would not be surprised if Madrid president Florentino Perez did pull off a big move before the window shuts on Aug. 31.
"For sure Madrid will keep trying, without going crazy," he said. "They say that Spain is signing fewer players. But who are they going to sign now? Maybe there is still another. They are both specialists in waiting until the end."
The need to keep revenues rising to remain competitive in the Champions League has seen both Madrid and Barca admit they plan to sell naming rights for their Bernabeu and Camp Nou stadiums.
Asked if he was in favour of this step, Tebas said: "Yes. That will happen soon. It is important to do it."