Former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has filed a claim against the Premier League club in London's high court.
Ancelotti, who is now in charge at Spanish giants Real Madrid, has not made any public statement about the case.
The esteemed coach arrived at Goodison Park in 2019 and spent one full season with the Toffees. He then left for a second spell at Madrid, where he won the Champions League and La Liga double in 2021/22.
Here's what we know so far about the case, as well as a look at his record on Merseyside.
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Why is Carlo Ancelotti suing Everton?
Details about the claim are scant but court documents show the dispute relates to "general commercial contracts and arrangements", according to The Guardian.
The case is scheduled to be heard in the commercial court and is listed as 'Ancelotti v Everton Football Club Company Limited.'
The Sporting News will provided updated details on this page when they are available.
When was Ancelotti Everton manager?
Ancelotti was appointed Everton manager on a four-and-a-half-year contract on December 21, 2019, 11 days after he was sacked by 2022/23 Serie A champions Napoli.
His new side responded with a 1-0 home win over current Everton boss Sean Dyche's Burnley team five days later, Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring the winner.
Ancelotti's previous Premier League role at Chelsea ended just shy of his second anniversary, when the Blues lost 1-0 at Everton in May 2011.
The Italian won the 2009 Community Shield and the 2009/10 Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, but his spell at Everton ended without a trophy on June 1, 2021.
When did Ancelotti join Real Madrid?
On the same day Ancelotti resigned from his position at Everton, Real Madrid announced that he was rejoining the club for a second term following his previous reign at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2013 and 2015.
Ancelotti had won the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup when he was first at Madrid, and he has added each of those trophies again since returning to Spain, as well as the league title and Supercopa de Espana in 2021/22.
The 64-year-old had an unsuccessful season by his and Madrid's standards in 2022/23, finishing 10 points behind Barcelona in second place in La Liga and failing to defend their Champions League title because of a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City in the second leg of their European semifinal.
Carlo Ancelotti Everton record
Ancelotti guided Everton to 12th place by winning eight and losing six of his 19 matches at the helm during the second half of his first season — a position that would have seemed heady to fans who watched their players avoid relegation on the final day of a troubled 2022/23 campaign.
The former Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich coach spent more than $75.4 million (£60m) in his first summer transfer window at Goodison Park, bringing in the likes of James Rodriguez — a player previously for Ancelotti at Madrid and Bayern — as well as Brazil midfielder Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the man whose spectacular strike secured Everton's safety last month.
Everton made an excellent start to 2020/21, winning their first four Premier League matches. A 2-2 draw with Liverpool in their subsequent game was one of three weeks in which they were top of the table.
Results rapidly tailed off, though. They lost their next three matches as part of a decline of one win in six. They did, however, follow that up with another run of four successive wins, putting Everton two points behind leaders Liverpool in second place at the end of 2020.
A 2-0 win at the Reds in March was the highlight of a mixed second half of the season, and they finished 10th — their lowest position throughout — after a closing sequence of three wins in 12 matches.
Ancelotti's win rate of slightly more than 46 per cent at Everton is his lowest in any role since his first job at Italian side Reggiana. He left with a record of 31 wins and 22 defeats from 67 matches.
Everton transfer news
Everton are facing an uncertain time, with three of their directors leaving in June and long-serving chairman Bill Kenwright reportedly on the brink of following suit.
The prospect of new signings and how much they are able to spend could depend on whether Farhad Moshiri, who has invested vast amounts in Everton and owns 94 per cent of the club, can entice new investment.
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Monaco-based British-Iranian businessman Moshiri says he is focused on financing Everton's impressive new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium. Building work is underway, with their new home set to open in time for the 2024/25 season.
🏟 | We can reveal the final designs for our new 52,000-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool's waterfront!
— Everton (@Everton) December 23, 2019
A detailed planning application will be submitted today. 🙌 #EFC pic.twitter.com/quVLzofRbr
Moshiri arranged a loan to help cover the remaining stadium costs, MailOnline reported in May, claiming that there is a shortfall of $377.2m (£300m).
On the pitch, Dyche will want additions to help avoid a continuation of Everton's struggles during what will be their 70th successive season in the top flight.
Centre-back Yerry Mina left at the end of the season and the club have not exercised a $5.7m (£4.5m) option to buy Conor Coady, who was on loan from Wolves.
Having been appointed a day before the January transfer window closed, Dyche is yet to make a signing. He has been linked to Burnley striker Wout Weghorst, who played for him at Turf Moor and spent last season on loan at Turkish club Besiktas and, from January, Manchester United.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
