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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Orme

James Rodriguez has his contract terminated ahead of unlikely next move

Former Real Madrid and Everton playmaker James Rodriguez is on the move once more after having his contract with Al Rayyan terminated.

The Colombian has been with the Qatari outfit for the past year following a solitary season at Goodison Park. Having made just 15 appearances for the club though - scoring five goals and providing seven assists in that time - Rodriguez finds himself on the move again with a club statement having confirmed that the remainder of his contract was terminated.

It read: “Al Rayyan terminates the contract of Colombian professional James Rodriguez by mutual consent after reaching an agreement between the two parties.”

With the Colombian now officially a free agent, Rodrgiuez looks already to be on the verge of a move with Greek Super League side Olympiacos having made a swoop for his services. Reports have suggested that the Athens outfit are interested in the midfielder and could reunite him with former Real Madrid teammate Marcelo - the Brazilian having also arrived at the Karaiskaki Stadium earlier this month having quit the Spanish giants at the end of last season.

He also links up with a number of former Premier League players - former Arsenal star Sokratis currently plying his trade for the Greek giants, whilst former Sunderland midfielder Yann M’Vila has been with the club for the past two years.

Rodriguez’s latest move represents another intriguing chapter in the increasingly eclectic career of the Colombian. Starting his career with Banfield, he moved to Portuguese giants Porto in 2010 before sealing a big-money switch to AS Monaco three years later.

James Rodriguez will be reunited with Marcelo at Olympiakos (Getty Images)

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A solitary season at the Stade Louis II and a number of sensational performances at the 2014 World Cup convinced Real Madrid to spend a reported £63m on the midfielder. He won two Champions Leagues and a couple of La Liga crowns in Spain before adding a pair of Bundesliga medals to his haul during a loan spell with Bayern Munich.

His next chapter saw him get his first taste of Premier League football having linked up with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton. Rodriguez notched six goals and provided nine assists in all competitions during his solitary campaign at Goodison Park but having been left out of the squad by Rafa Benitez, decided to leave Merseyside for Qatar.

Taking to Instagram after he left the club, the midfielder wrote: "I want to thank my teammates, who welcomed me well, I wish them the best and I also want to thank Everton fans.

"A pity not to have played in Goodison Park with you, it would have been very nice. I always tried to give my best and I always wanted to win, that is my mentality. I wish you all the best. JR10."

Rodriguez now links up with an Olympiakos side who are sitting third in the Greek Super League having won two and drawn two out of their opening four league games of the campaign.

They also sit third in their current Europa League group having lost 2-1 to French side Nantes in their latest European opener.

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