Sevilla are eyeing up a move for Everton midfielder James Rodriguez this summer and could include a player in the deal to tempt the Blues into accepting.
That’s according to Fichajes.net, who say the Spanish side are ready to offer up Papu Gomez and cash to bring Rodríguez back to La Liga.
They explain that, after arriving in January, Gomez has ‘struggled to find his place’ under Julen Lopetegui and, being the highest-paid player in the squad, Sevilla are a ‘little bit worried’.
That has led them to think about a potential swap deal and bring in a former target in the form of Rodríguez.
Lopetegui is in love with Real Madrid midfielder Isco, but Madrid’s asking price is considered too high, and so the Sevilla boss and Monchi have turned their attention to the Everton star, who is considered a Plan B.
It’s believed that while James has been ‘outstanding’ at Everton this season, the fact they are struggling to qualify for Europe could push him out of the door.
The Blues would be ‘reluctant to part’ with him, but if he were to push for an exit, their lack of European football would make it harder for them to convince him to stay.
Sevilla are willing to invest, and James would give them the creative player they’ve been longing for since losing Ever Banega, but they don’t have the money to match his €30m valuation.
So they hope to include Gomez in the deal and bring the cost down to around €10m in a move that it’s suggested would suit the player and Sevilla but very much not Everton.
And that’s why it’s probably all nonsense.
For a start, why would Everton swap 29-year-old Rodríguez for 33-year-old Gomez when one of Marcel Brands key aims is to bring the age of the squad down?
Furthermore, the suggestion they’d be under any pressure to sell Rodríguez is a fallacy, given they have an option to extend his contract until 2023.
Even if they did push for a sale, they’d never accept a swap and would certainly push for money to make a huge profit on a player they signed on a free.
Even then, the idea that Rodríguez wants to return to Spain and ditch Carlo Ancelotti, who has backed him throughout this season and got the best out of him everywhere they’ve been together, is odd, to say the least.
Indeed, this whole rumour seems like nothing but pure fantasy, but if you happen to see it in future, you know where it comes from at least.
