Suggestions that James Rodriguez is inching ever closer to an imminent departure from Everton have moved up a notch on Monday evening.
James the outcast
Colombian international Rodriguez has proven something of a forgotten man on the blue half of Merseyside thus far this season.
As the Toffees marched their way to an impressive 10 points from 12 across their opening four Premier League fixtures, Rodriguez was left to watch on from home, amid yet another crossroads in a career that has so often flattered to deceive.
The key factor behind his latest round of struggles, of course, comes in the form of the change on the bench at Goodison Park this summer.
After Carlo Ancelotti – the man who previously oversaw some of the finest form of the midfielder’s career – opted to call time on his Blues stint to seal a return to Real Madrid, Rafael Benitez was soon installed in his place.
And reports, in turn, quickly began to surface that the Spaniard, unlike his predecessor, saw little room for Rodriguez in his setup.
Qatar bound
Upon both the English and Turkish (a destination the 30-year-old had been linked to) markets slamming shut, though, James remained an Everton player.
As a result, it had since simply been assumed that he would be forced to remain at Goodison Park, until January at the very least.
On Monday, though, word was forthcoming that a fresh suitor had emerged for the midfielder’s services.
As per the reliable Paul Joyce of The Times, Rodriguez has entered into talks with a club in Qatar, with both the Colombian and Everton seemingly keen to strike a deal:
And, as outlined above, a considerable update on the situation has since developed.
As per Turkish transfer expert Ekrem Konur, in a post accompanied by a picture of Rodriguez photo-shopped into the club’s colours, the Toffees star has been ‘transferred’ to Al-Rayyan: