Mikel Arteta in new Everton shirt _100
Real Zaragoza were the other Spanish team tracking Arteta, but their hopes were dashed with their shock relegation from the Primera Division last season.
Another Everton player to have fallen out of the sights of an opposing club is Andy van der Meyde.
Red Bull Salzburg, coached by van der Meyde’s former Ajax mentor Co Adriaanse, had been contemplating ending the Dutch winger’s Goodison nightmare.
But reports in Austria suggest Adriaanse has cooled his interest in van der Meyde.
However, Andrew Johnson’s departure appears imminent, with Goodison officials expecting Wigan Athletic to follow up their initial enquiry with an official £10m bid.
Sunderland have also asked about Johnson, while West Ham United are thought ready to also enter the race for the striker after giving Fulham permission to speak to Bobby Zamora.
