James Rodriguez is reportedly closing in on completing a move from Real Madrid to Everton for a fee between €25m and €30m.
It’s been far from a happy return to Real Madrid for James Rodriguez. The Colombian made just 14 appearances in all competitions last season, including eight in La Liga.
While injury problems were part of the reason for his limited game time, Zinedine Zidane clearly doesn’t rate him. Therefore, he seems certain to leave the Spanish capital at some point.
One club that has been hot on his radar of late is Everton, who are coached by his former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian built a strong rapport with James during their time together at Real Madrid, with the midfielder managing 18 goals and 19 assists in 51 appearances. Since Carlo’s exit in 2015, however, things have never been the same.
🇨🇴 Since moving to Monaco in 2013, James Rodriguez has had a direct hand in 106 goals in 162 games in Europe's top five leagues
⏱️ He's averaged a goal or an assist every 102 minutes in that time
🤯 What a coup for Everton this could be! pic.twitter.com/uGreUjdCX5
— Olamide Abimbola (@need2befearless) August 26, 2020
A brief reunion at Bayern didn’t revitalize James’ prospects, but Ancelotti is still keen to link-up with him again and appears to have got his wish.
According to Marca, Everton are locked in talks with Real Madrid and are on the right track to completing a deal worth between €25m and €30m.
James, meanwhile, has settled on a Premier League move based on his relationship with Ancelotti and recently discussed his interest to Mexican motivational speaker Daniel Habif.
“I’ve already been in several good leagues and the only thing missing is Serie A and the Premier League, you have to see where I want to go or where they want me to go,” said the former Porto star.
“Going to England would be a good thing, it’s a top league.”
Should James indeed move to Everton, Gareth Bale’s future will be next for Real Madrid to resolve.
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