Everton could be willing to sell Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez this summer, according to The Telegraph.

What's the latest transfer news involving Rodriguez?

Rodriguez only arrived at Goodison Park last September on a free transfer from Real Madrid. However, it has been reported that Everton would consider cashing in on him already, and they could offload him in the current transfer window if they receive a suitable proposal.

The 30-year-old is valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, which gives an indication of what Everton's asking price for the attacking midfielder may be.

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What were Rodriguez's stats in 2020/21?

The 80-cap international made an exceptional start to life at Everton in 2020/21, registering three goals and three assists in his first five league matches.

He ended his maiden Premier League campaign with 10 goal contributions - only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (16) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (11) were directly involved in more for the Toffees (via WhoScored).

He also completed 40 key passes in the top-flight, which saw him rank in the top three at Everton behind Lucas Digne (46) and Sigurdsson (44).

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What did Calvert-Lewin say about Rodriguez?

After his flying start to life in the Premier League, Rodriguez received praise from his teammate Calvert-Lewin, who explained what it was like playing with the former World Cup Golden Boot winner.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Calvert-Lewin said of Rodriguez: “I’d seen the great goals he’d scored and the big teams he’d played for. He’s a top, top player and for me, as a centre-forward, I knew chance-creation would be there and it would be down to me to put the ball in the back of the net.

“It has been and I’m really enjoying playing with him. He’s a different level. He dictates games.

“He takes players out of games by taking touches. The way he manipulates the ball, he’s very hard to get it off – I don’t think I’ve seen him get tackled, even in training.”

Is this the right time for Everton to cash in on Rodriguez?

This update on Rodriguez's future may surprise some people given the numbers that he was able to produce in his first year in England.

However, when taking a closer look at how his 2020/21 campaign panned out, this may actually be a smart move by Everton.

Although Rodriguez did start the year very well, he tended to blow hot and cold in the second half of the season, as shown by the fact that he only recorded four goal involvements in the league in 2021.

His injury record during the year was also an issue. The forward missed 15 league matches - that's 39% of Everton's games. 

Given that his form was a little inconsistent and he had clear fitness problems, this could be the right time for Everton to move him on if they can get an appropriate transfer fee.