Atletico in pole position to land Everton target

Atletico Madrid have emerged as frontrunners in the race to sign Real Madrid midfielder James Rodrigiez, reports Blu Radio via AS. 

The Colombian returned to Real Madrid last year after a two-year stint with Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich. 

The German side elected against making his move permanent and Rodriguez returned to Spain, but has struggled for game time under head coach Zinedine Zidane. 

Rodriguez has a little over a year to run on his current deal with Los Blancos and they need to sell him this summer or run the risk of losing him on a free next year. 

And now rivals Atletico have been seriously linked with a move for the 28-year-old, who has been his Premier League admirers, notably Everton. 

According to Colombian journalist Javier Hernandez Bonnet, he believes a deal is almost done, stating: "If Real Madrid want to recover some of their money, they need to close the deal. If they don't do it between now and December, James will be a free agent. Real Madrid should open the door for James. 

"The same sources that told us when he moved to Bayern Munich, have said the operation is 80% done." 

Rodriguez has made just seven league appearances for Real Madrid this season.