Everton finalized an agreement with Real Madrid on Tuesday for James Rodriguez; Allan expected to fly into Merseyside on Wednesday.
The move will see the Colombia international join forces with Carlo Ancelotti for a third time, having played under him at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Colombia attacking midfielder played under Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid
When James Rodriguez scored his wondergoal for Colombia against Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup, he had the world’s biggest clubs queuing up to sign him.
By the time the tournament finished, he had won the Golden Ball and would eventually sign for Real Madrid for £63m on a six-year contract at the age of 23.
His latest contract at Madrid expires in 2021 and now, a reunion with one of the few managers who got the best out of him in recent years looks likely in England. Everton are closing in on what would be an eye-catching transfer that would see the enigmatic midfielder join forces with Carlo Ancelotti for a third time, having played under him at Real Madrid and, briefly, at Bayern Munich.
From finding himself on the periphery after commanding one of the world’s highest transfer fees to hoping to rediscover his form under a long-time admirer, we look back on the curious case of the Colombian and what might lay ahead…
Arriving in Europe in the summer of 2010 as a supremely talented 19-year-old, Porto was his destination and the Portuguese outfit were willing to pay around £4m to Banfield – the club in Buenos Aires.
By 2013, his stock continued to rise and Monaco triggered his €45m release clause. After just one season in Ligue 1, and a hugely impressive World Cup where he was named player of the tournament, James arrived at his dream destination: Real Madrid.
The 2014/15 season was, personally at least, a successful one for James. He was named La Liga’s best midfielder and was selected in the team of the year. However, Real Madrid lost out to Barcelona in the title race, and were unable to defend the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti was relieved of his duties, and Zinedine Zidane took control.
In Zidane’s first season, Real won their 11th Champions League. But James was a peripheral figure, as Zidane’s preference of a 4-3-3 rendered the Colombian to cameos from the bench. Indeed, James started just 21 of Real’s 52 games that season.
