James Rodríguez is one of the players expected to leave Real Madrid this summer as the La Liga winners look to trim their squad to balance their finances.
Earlier this month, Everton were pushed forward as a ‘safe option’ for the 29-year-old because of Carlo Ancelotti’s presence at Goodison Park. The Italian had the former AS Monaco man at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
According to the Colombian version of Marca, Rodríguez is ‘very close’ to ending his time with Los Blancos to join the Toffees.
It’s claimed the player’s signing is a ‘personal request’ of Ancelotti, and he’s ‘one step away’ from Everton.
The former Chelsea manager has been ‘key’ in convincing the Colombia international and initiating talks for his transfer. The report explains the negotiations are ‘not closed’, but the deal is ‘on the right track’.
According to the claims, the Merseyside club could seal the deal to sign the South American for a ‘figure of about €25m or €30m’.
Rodríguez has given his approval to join Everton over other options because of the good relationship he shares with Ancelotti. This isn’t the case with his current manager, Zinedine Zidane.
The attacking midfielder gave an interview to the Mexican media last week in which he admitted he wants to leave Real Madrid, and opened the door to a Premier League move.
Marca state Everton’s interest was already there when he made those comments, and now the ‘agreement with the English team is close to being closed’.
