James Rodriguez confirmed as an Al-Rayyan player as he exits Everton

James Rodriguez completes moves to Qatar side Al-Rayyan as Everton get rid of the Colombian’s £200,000-a-week wages

  • James Rodriguez is on the verge of being confirmed as an Al-Rayyan player 
  • The Colombian is set to end his nightmare spell at Premier League side Everton 
  • The Toffees are set to get James’ £200,000 a week wages off their finance bill
  • Qatari side Al-Rayyan teased the midfielder’s signing on Twitter on Wednesday 


Everton have confirmed they have sold James Rodriguez to Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee.

The 30-year old Colombia international completed a medical on Wednesday and was formally announced as Al Rayyan’s new signing via their social media prior to their match with Al Sadd.

James travelled to the Middle East for talks on Sunday after initially being reluctant to make the move to the Qatari Stars League.

Everton outcast James Rodriguez has been confirmed as a new signing for Al-Rayyan

The Colombian (right) is out of favour at Goodison Park and has not featured yet this season

The Colombian (right) is out of favour at Goodison Park and has not featured yet this season

Everton have been keen to offload his £220,000-a-week wages to alleviate their Financial Fair Play concerns and he had been informed he did not figure in the plans of manager Rafa Benitez.

Al Rayyan, coached by former Manchester United and France defender Laurent Blanc, had proposed a loan deal initially for James but a permanent sale has subsequently been agreed.

James was left looking for another option after proposed moves to former club Porto and Turkish side Basaksehir fell through. 

The 30-year old Colombian was convinced it was his best opportunity of playing regular football over the coming months ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Rodriguez arrived at Goodison Park 12 months ago from Real Madrid to link up with former Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti, with the signing creating great excitement amongst Toffees supporters.

A great start to life at Everton saw the Colombian score three goals and register three assists in his first six Premier League games, but his debut campaign in England was ruined from then on by calf injuries and inconsistent form.

Rafa Benitez (above) informed James at the start of the campaign that he is not in his plans

Rafa Benitez (above) informed James at the start of the campaign that he is not in his plans

Rodriguez's Toffees career started brightly but is now surplus to requirements on Merseyside

Rodriguez’s Toffees career started brightly but is now surplus to requirements on Merseyside

Benitez replaced Ancelotti, who returned to former club Real, earlier this summer and the Spanish coach gave Rodriguez a chance to prove his worth in pre-season.

Despite some appearances, the midfielder was informed by Benitez that he was no longer required on Merseyside and has been searching for a new club since the start of the Premier League season. 

Benitez refused to call up Rodriguez to Saturday’s 3-0 defeat away at Aston Villa, even though the Everton boss only named eight substitutes instead of the nine allowed in a matchday squad, with the Toffees currently in an injury crisis.

Sportsmail revealed last month that the 30-year-old was offered in a swap deal with FC Porto’s winger Luis Diaz, but a move for either Colombian player failed to go through.

Rodriguez’s overall Everton record saw him score six goals in 26 matches, registering nine assists in his only season at Goodison Park.   

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