Banfield claim that no fee was paid for James' move to Everton
The Argentine side who are eligible for payment for any onward sales of their former player maintain that the Colombian moved to Everton "as if it were a free transfer".
According to Argentine top flight side Banfield, James Rodriguez's move from Real Madrid to Everton was a free transfer and not the 25 million euro deal as was initially suggested. The Colombian midfielder played with the SuperLiga Argentina side before moving to Europe and are entitled to a percentage of any onward sale of the player as part of a FIFA solidarity mechanism.
The South American side published a brief statement on the official club website confirming that no revenue would be forthcoming for the move claiming that the deal between Madrid and the Premier League was conducted: "as if it were a free transfer. A line of investigation with both clubs (Madrid and Everton) has revealed that, sadly Banfield will not receive any payment as part of the solidarity payment plan". James played in Argentina from 2008 through to 2010 before moving to FC Porto, later to AS Monaco and subsequently Real Madrid in 2014.
The Banfield revelation comes as a surprise after initial reports claimed that the Toffees paid a fee of between 20 and 25 million euro for the Colombian's signature. James made his debut for the English side last weekend after Carlo Ancelotti's side defeated Tottenham 0-1 in North London.