Source: Daily_Mail
Everton miss out on Van der Vaart after Real star looked set for Goodison Park
Everton have failed in a bold bid to bring Real Madrid's Holland midfielder Rafael van der Vaart to the Barclays Premier League.
Goodison Park officials made contact with Van der Vaart's lawyer and were encouraged by positive feedback that the 26-year-old was eager to test himself in English football and enthusiastic about the prospect of joining Everton.
But manager David Moyes was left frustrated when Real had a change of heart about Van der Vaart's future and told him he still had a part to play at the Bernabeu.
Moyes needs reinforcements in midfield as well as defence and made his move after being alerted to Van der Vaart's apparent exclusion from an expensively-enhanced Real squad.
Denied a squad number and included on a lengthy list of players deemed surplus to requirements, Van der Vaart began considering his options away from Madrid and would have been bound for Goodison Park but for a last-minute rethink by the Bernabeu board over the weekend.
A host of other Premier League clubs were linked with Real's £12million signing from Hamburg, as well as Besiktas, but a Real source told Sportsmail: 'He was only ever going to go to England, if he left the Bernabeu, and Everton were the only club who made direct contact.
'He was very positive about joining them, but all that changed when Real called him in for a meeting and said they wanted him to stay.'
