Jorge Mendes lines up £8.6m proposal to send Everton star James Rodriguez to AC Milan
Super agent Jorge Mendes is lining up an £8.6million proposal to send his client James Rodriguez from Everton to AC Milan, according to Tuttosport.
The Italian news outlet claims Rodriguez is a target for the Serie A giants, and that the 29-year-old has been offered to their technical director Paolo Maldini, the legendary defender who spent his entire playing days at the club and won five Champions Leagues/European Cups.
Rodriguez also wants to feel ‘important in some club’, per Tuttosport’s report, and Mendes is looking to test the waters and offer him with £8.6million as his market value.
Profit
All the signs and sounds are that the Colombian star will be bidding the Blues goodbye this summer, after a fairly underwhelming maiden campaign at the club.
Rodriguez burst into life during the opening weeks of the season as we stormed to the top of the Premier League, but his influence on the side rapidly decreased, while he also spent time on the sidelines through injury.
The fee that took him from Real Madrid to Everton last September has been widely debated, with initial reports valuing the deal at £20million, before the BBC reported that their understanding was it was just £12million.
However, Blues director of football Marcel Brands said in January that Real Madrid actually waived a fee, and that we paid nothing for Rodriguez. [Liverpool Echo]
As such, it looks like we would be in the green zone if Mendes ships him on for any price, let alone the £8.6million fee mooted.
Of course, we would have been paying Rodriguez a sweet sum in wages, almost certainly as our highest earner given his profile and talent, but at least we have not shelled out on a big transfer fee and have to sell him for a lot less.
Therefore, there appears to be little stopping such a deal occurring, unless AC Milan decide to try and go even cheaper, or take him on loan as is commonplace for Italian clubs, and inserting a future clause.
In other Everton news, 29y/o launches stinging attack on Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Blues exit.
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