Real Madrid: This Premier League club would be ideal for James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale

Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez will always be linked to Carlo Ancelotti in transfer rumors, but it sounds like the former Los Blancos manager also has eyes on another big name.

A handful of players will likely leave Real Madrid in the summer transfer window to make way for new attacking options. Los Blancos need more goals and attacking support for Karim Benzema and a healthy Eden Hazard.

Gareth Bale is the most logical name to make way for others, since he has huge wages and is no longer as productive. The Wales international needs a change of scenery to show he can still play at the highest level.

Although James Rodriguez is a fan favorite, he’s also mired in transfer rumors. Still an effective attacking midfielder when healthy, James has only one year left on his contract, so Real Madrid probably don’t want to lose him for free. And playing time will never be easy for him due to Isco’s reemergence and Martin Odegaard’s status as a future superstar.

According to a report from MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti wants both players.

James is already understood to be most interested in a move to Everton because of Ancelotti’s presence. The Colombian has been linked to two other Premier League clubs in Wolves and Arsenal, with the Gunners being favorites. Arsenal, after all, will almost certainly not be in a position to keep Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos.

However, Everton are his preferred destination, and it’s no surprise given the relationship he and Ancelotti seem to have. James played his best football at a club level under Ancelotti at both Real and Bayern Munich, scoring great goals and providing highlight-reel assists with both teams.

Bale could also use Ancelotti’s player-friendly coaching and would be a great fit for the Premier League. Everton have an ambitious project and targeted a lot of attacking talent last summer, but it didn’t work out for them. However, Bale and James have the experience of winning at the highest level and working with Ancelotti, so they could be game-changers for a club that seems willing to pay for top talent in order to compete with the Premier League’s best.

James to Everton seems like a deal with a high likelihood of happening, but Real Madrid may have to do some maneuvering to move Bale to Everton. Still, they should be willing to make concessions, because Real need to grab onto any Premier League suitor for the expensive forward.