Everton manager Carlo Ancelloti is on the verge of strengthening his squad with two top-flight midfielders in James Rodriguez from Real Madrid and Allan from Napoli. Ancelloti has managed both players from his previous stints at Real Madrid and Napoli respectively.
James signed for Real Madrid in 2014 after his amazing exploits during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil which earned him the golden boot award. The then 23-year-old registered 6 goals 2 assists.
He scored one of the best goals of the tournament against Uruguay. James also put in a man of the match performance against Brazil during the quarter-finals which saw Brazil become victors with a 2-1 win.
The exploits of the Colombian at the World Cup had the big boys in Europe jostling for his signature but he chose to move to the Spanish capital and joined a galaxy of stars.
After the arrival of Zinedine Zidane, James was unable to secure first-team football. He was then loaned out to Bayern Munich for two consecutive seasons. At Bayern, he also struggled to secure a regular starting position due to injuries and lack of form.
He returned to Madrid for the start of the 2019/20 season to fight for his place in the squad. However, James had to settle for cameo appearances in all competitions. With one year left on his contract, both James and Real Madrid have decided to move on.
It has been reported that Everton will pay up to £24 million to secure the services of the Colombian playmaker. James will provide competition for club captain Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bernard.
Another midfielder making his way to Goodison Park is the Brazilian box to box midfielder Allan. The energetic player thrived under Ancelloti and is poised to reunite with his former manager.
Allan is valued at £25 million. Both deals for James and Allan would be completed this week.
