Everton are reportedly eyeing a summer move for James Rodriguez and have already started talks over a transfer for the Real Madrid playmaker.
According to a report by Daily Telegraph, Everton have opened talks with Real Madrid over the prospect of signing James Rodriguez in the summer transfer window. The Colombian playmaker is keen to be reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, with Los Blancos hoping to offload him as well.
James Rodriguez was on top of the world when he joined Real Madrid in the aftermath of a superb 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign. The start to life in the Spanish capital was solid, as he became a key part of Carlo Ancelotti’s side. However, his role started to reduce once Zinedine Zidane arrived at the helm at the Bernabeu midway through the 2015/16 season.
In fact, Rodriguez fell down the pecking order so rapidly that he was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2017. At the Allianz Arena, the Colombian playmaker reunited with Carlo Ancelotti once again and enjoyed a much more fruitful playing time. However, at the end of his two-year spell, Bayern chose not to sign him permanently and he returned to Real Madrid.
Last summer, there were suggestions of yet another reunion with Ancelotti, this time at Napoli. But a move failed to materialise, with the player staying put at Real Madrid. However, he could not carve out a place for himself in Zidane’s squad and was a bit-part player once again, starting just 9 games all season.
With just one more year remaining on his contract, Real Madrid are now keen to get him off their books. The 29-year-old was briefly linked with Arsenal and Manchester United, but it looks like he might be joining a Premier League club that cannot offer him any European football, with Everton hot on his trails.
It seems like Ancelotti and Rodriguez might finally be reunited this summer, with all three parties hoping to see the move through, the report claims. The negotiations between Everton and Real Madrid are progressing smoothly, while the player himself is eager to play under a manager who has often got the best out of him.
The move makes sense for Everton as well, especially with Gylfi Sigurdsson faltering in the season gone by. The Toffees do not have a reliable backup for the Icelandic playmaker either, meaning Rodriguez, who is privy to the style of play Ancelotti likes to employ and could fit in seamlessly at Goodison Park.
Everton might not have to shell out the big bucks for Rodriguez either, considering he is in the final year of his contract with Real Madrid. For all intents and purposes, it looks like the Colombian playmaker is Premier League-bound, with Everton his next destination.
