Everton are yet to enter into talks regarding a new contract for James Rodriguez, with Carlo Ancelotti claiming no discussions are required at present as the Colombian is already tied to a lucrative deal and feeling "happy" at Goodison Park.
The Toffees pulled off quite a coup when luring a world-class talent away from Real Madrid during the summer of 2020.
James has found the going tough at times during his debut campaign in English football, but is feeling more at home and appears to be in no rush to consider an extension or early end to terms that are due to run until 2022 - with a 12-month option beyond that.
What has been said?
When quizzed on James' contract ahead of a Premier League clash with Aston Villa, Ancelotti told reporters: "We didn't talk about an extension, I'm not involved in this.
"His contract is quite clear, he has two years plus one option. And so I think we have time to talk about this because he has another year of contract plus an option.
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"I don't think we need to talk about this. Maybe in the next few months we can talk about this.
"I think he's happy here."
The bigger picture
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James clearly remains part of the long-term thinking at Everton, with Ancelotti focusing his attention on other areas.
He has pushed the Toffees into contention for European qualification this season, with the intention being to bolster collective ranks during the next transfer window.
Asked about recruitment plans, the Italian tactician said: "It's a club that has a clear project. In this clear project, you need to invest because you want to improve and be better in the future.
"We didn't talk for the next season at least, but we are going to talk in the next few weeks at least to try and improve the squad and to be better next season.
"This is the idea we have and that everyone in the club has. This season, I don't know how we're going to finish, but until now we've improved a lot compared to last season.
"The improvement was there, I think we can step up quickly if we have a good position in Europe for next season, but also we can step up and put in place a good programme for next season."
