James Rodriguez making a return to Everton would be a major surprise, says journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The 30-year-old left the Toffees for Qatari side Al-Rayyan at the start of the season but has refused to rule out rejoining his former club in the future.

What is the latest news involving Rodriguez?

While Rodriguez only recently joined Al-Rayyan, the 82-cap Colombia international has already been speaking about a transfer and playing for Everton again one day.

Speaking on Twitch (via MailOnline), he said: "It's a spectacular club, the fans are incredible, but I ran into a coach who didn't want to count on me. I wanted to be there. Unfortunately, the coach didn't want to count on me.

"But I'd come back, why not, I left everything, I always trained, worked and the Everton fanbase is very big and supports well."

During his sole season at Goodison Park, Rodriguez made just 23 league appearances after picking up injuries, making it a disappointing spell on Merseyside overall.

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What has O'Rourke said about Rodriguez returning to Everton?

O'Rourke has told GIVEMESPORT that he would be shocked if Everton ended up re-signing Rodriguez.

Speaking to GMS, the transfer insider said: "I'd be majorly surprised if James Rodriguez was to return to Everton. Obviously he was a big, high-profile signing when he did join the club.

"Although it was a relatively cheap transfer fee, his contract was a pretty big one and Everton needed to trim the wage bill and reduce costs to fit in with FFP."

Should Everton re-sign Rodriguez?

No. As already mentioned, his first stint at Goodison did not really work out, while Everton look to have moved on.

While Dele Alli has not hit the ground running following his move from Tottenham, failing to make a start so far, you would expect the 25-year-old to become the team's primary No.10 if manager Frank Lampard decides to utilise one in the long run.

“I think we’re different. It is easy to compare because we are both goal-scoring midfielders," Lampard was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard when discussing the comparisons drawn between him and Alli.

"In terms of the position on the pitch, I started deeper and Dele is more effective higher up. Particularly in his early Tottenham years when he played off Harry Kane."

Things did not exactly end well, so Rodriguez may want to return to Everton and win back supporters. But from the club's point of view, this chapter looks to be closed.