Journalist Paul Brown believes Everton's decision to sell James Rodriguez could look like 'absolutely amazing business' if they replace him with Luis Diaz in January. 

What's the latest transfer news involving Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez?

During the latter stages of the summer transfer window, it was reported that the Toffees had opened talks with FC Porto over a deal for Diaz, with Rodriguez potentially moving the other way on loan. 

However, it seems the Portuguese side couldn't reach an agreement with the then-Everton midfielder, meaning the Diaz deal fell apart. 

Rodriguez has since left Goodison Park though, joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan in a permanent move.

But the Premier League transfer window had already closed when the deal took place last month, with Everton now having to wait until January to sign a direct replacement for the Colombian international. 

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What has Paul Brown said about Diaz?

Talking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown has argued that Everton's decision to offload Rodriguez could end up looking like amazing business if they manage to rekindle the deal for Diaz in January. 

He told GMS: "I was very disappointed that they didn’t end up with the guy at Porto, Diaz. I think he looked a great buy. I think Marcel Brands did really good work convincing him to come, but that deal obviously hinged on whether James Rodriguez would go and he refused. So that collapsed.

"I think if they somehow managed to get him in January and he was a success, you could say absolutely amazing business to get a fee for a player who doesn’t want to be here in James and bring in someone who has that kind of goal threat to replace him."

Would Diaz be a good replacement for Rodriguez?

It's easy to see why Everton were so interested in Diaz this summer. 

Last term saw him provide six goals and five assists in the Portuguese top flight, but he's well on course to bettering that total this season. 

In fact, the Colombian has six league goals already, while he's also averaged an impressive 2.8 shots, 1.4 key passes and 2.4 successful dribbles per game. 

At the age of 24, the potential is there for Diaz to further improve over the next few years.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, turned 30 in July and despite occasional moments of brilliance, he only actually managed six goals and four assists in the Premier League. 

It remains to be seen how Diaz would adapt to English football but he seems the wiser long-top option for the Toffees. 

Whether Porto would be willing to reopen talks in the next transfer window, however, is another matter.