Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez is reportedly uninterested in joining Premier League club Everton this summer.
According to the print edition of MARCA, as relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Guido Rodriguez this summer. The Toffees have already made an approach for the 28-year-old Real Betis midfielder but could find it difficult to iron out a deal.
The Argentine international not keen on leaving the Andalusian outfit, while Manuel Pellegrini is also pressing the club to keep hold of their key player. Rodriguez is back on the radars of Premier League clubs after being constantly linked to the likes of West Ham United and Arsenal back in January as he continues to prove himself with Real Betis.
He has been a staple for Real Betis since they brought him to Europe from the Mexican outfit Club America in January 2020. The transition was smooth for the Argentine international, who has now clocked up 100 competitive appearances for the Andalusian club. Rodriguez played a pivotal role in Betis’s fifth-placed finish in La Liga this past season.
He has been tipped to make the next step for quite some time, popping up on the radars of Chelsea and Arsenal this summer. Another Premier League club has now entered the fray, with Everton making contact with the 28-year-old for a potential summer swoop. But no concrete bids have yet been tabled.
Everton survived the relegation fight by the skin of their teeth last season and are keen to bolster their squad this summer to avoid being in that conversation again. That said, the Toffees have made little investment in the summer transfer window thus far, with the club’s solitary addition being that of James Tarkowski, who arrived on a Bosman move after leaving Burnley as a free agent.
Everton’s engine room is one of the most vulnerable areas at the moment due to the departures of Fabian Delph, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Donny van de Beek. Other options like Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes, and Tom Davies did not cover themselves in any kind of glory last season either, offering little protection to the already prone backline.
As a result, they have been linked with a slew of midfielders, including Harry Winks, and the Chelsea duo of Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour. But with time running out, Everton are looking into other options available in the market. One such candidate is Guido Rodriguez, who could be made available, with the cash-strapped Real Betis looking to balance their books.
A sitting number six, the 28-year-old likes to control the tempo of games and break up play. With Allan losing a yard of pace, Guido Rodriguez fits the profile of the combative midfielder that Everton want. The Argentine international is expected to be part of Lionel Scaloni’s squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and signing him would be a huge coup for the Toffees. But Everton will need to do some convincing, with the player not keen on a move to Merseyside.
