It will be 'very difficult' for Everton to send James Rodriguez the other way as they try to sign Luis Diaz from FC Porto, according to Carlos Aleman.

The lowdown

A right-back and a winger are on Everton's shopping list ahead of Tuesday night's transfer deadline, but the Blues are said to be reliant on James leaving in order to free up the funds (via The Athletic).

With Porto right-winger Diaz a target, one possible solution could be a part-exchange deal with the two-time European champions involving James.

The Colombian, of course, only moved to Goodison Park from Real Madrid last summer.

The latest

In a tweet, Aleman wrote that the proposed move is 'very complicated' but urged 'patience'.

Everton are 'trying to make something concrete' with Diaz, but the stumbling block 'has always been' James' salary.

The verdict

This kind of scenario was always a risk when Everton signed James, particularly in the midst of a pandemic.

According to Marca, his salary is around £7million per year, which equates to a shade under £135,000 per week.

If, for whatever reason, Everton needed to offload him, those wages were always likely to throw a spanner in the works.

In fairness, James performed well last season and there has been an unforeseen change of management, so they shouldn't be criticised too harshly, but it feels best for all parties if they can figure out an exit now.

In other news, this Everton target is set for crunch talks with his manager.