James Rodriguez turns villain as Everton summer target will join Liverpool

Rewind to the summer of 2021 and the Everton fans would remember the days when the club was desperate to add a quality winger to its ranks. We all know that Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray were bought in for a combined fee of £1.7 million, which proved to be an absolute bargain but even before the English pair of wingers were signed, the club was linked with Luis Diaz, the Colombian winger plying his trade at FC Porto.

The 25-year-old has already played 100 games for the Portuguese side, scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists during this period. The right footed winger was in high demand after a successful 2021 Copa America campaign with Colombia as he finished the tournament with 4 goals to his name and helped his nation finish 3rd in the tournament held in Brazil. (via FBref)

The player was keen to join the Merseyside club in the summer. Transfer Guru Fabrizio Romano also tweeted regarding the same back in August 2021.

But unfortunately, the deal collapsed due to James Rodriguez who could not agree on terms with Porto, as the former Real Madrid player was not interested in reducing his wages and the potential swap-deal fell through. It was believed that if Rodriguez could move back to Porto, the Royal Blues could’ve acquired the services of his international teammate for around £25 million.

Should James Rodriguez be blamed for Everton missing out on Luis Diaz?

The Toffees did manage to move on Rodriguez, who signed for Qatari side Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee on September 22. But by that point in time it was too late to resurrect a deal for Diaz, whose form this season has seen his value and reputation grow.

Everton’s arch rivals Liverpool are close to completing the signing of Luis Diaz from FC Porto after the Reds hijacked Tottenham Hotspur’s attempts to sign the 25-year-old by agreeing to a transfer for £37.5 million with £12.5 million in add-ons with the Primeira Liga club.

The Anfield side has gotten themselves an absolute steal as the gifted winger can prove to be a long term signing.

Had it not been for Rodriguez, Diaz would’ve already been in the Merseyside playing at the Goodison Park. But as the saying goes “What’s done is done”. Everton now need to focus on hiring a new coach before transfer deadline day, after sacking Rafa Benitez after an abysmal run of just one win in 13 Premier League matches under the former Liverpool coach.

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