Everton playmaker James Rodriguez has joined Qatari outfit Al Rayyan.
Rodriguez, 30, arrived at Goodison Park to great fanfare 12 months ago on a free transfer from Real Madrid to reunite with long-term ally Carlo Ancelotti.
The Colombia international made 26 appearances and produced six goals in the previous campaign as the Blues scraped a Premier League top-half finish.
But Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabeu coupled with Rafael Benitez’s installed as his replacement sparked uncertainty over Rodriguez’s immediate future.
He failed to feature in any of Everton’s opening seven games this season in all competitions under the Spaniard, another of his former managers at Madrid.
Benitez hinted following Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit to QPR that Rodriguez’s impending switch was driven by a need to meet Financial Fair Play constraints.
He said: “Don’t forget, we are talking about a special situation for this club.
“The Financial Fair Play rules have to manage everything in the best way we can.”
Everton, meanwhile, have seen three of their upcoming Premier League matches in November switched to accommodate TV broadcast commitments.
Tottenham’s visit to Goodison has been pushed back to Sunday, November 7 on account of the visitors’ involvement in the Europa Conference League.
The 2pm kick-off will be followed by another against the reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday, November 21 at the Etihad Stadium.
Benitez’s side will also take on newly-promoted Brentford on Sunday, November 28 in a game set to be broadcast live by Sky Sports.