Al-Hilal have opened talks with Everton over Iliman Ndiaye, and Everton are not approaching it like a club under pressure. The forward joined from Marseille in a £15m deal, the club say he has three years left on his contract, and their view is that any sale would only happen on their terms.

Everton's position

That stance is not just public posturing. David Moyes said Ndiaye is "the last person I would consider selling" and added that Everton have no interest in hearing transfer talk unless the value suits them.

Moyes' point is straightforward enough. Everton finished 13th with 49 points, so this is not a club that looks trapped into cutting loose a key attacker. The numbers on Ndiaye help explain why they are digging in. He has made 71 appearances for Everton, scoring 17 goals and registering 3 assists, which is the sort of output that makes a sale hard to justify unless the offer is exceptional.

The wider market around Ndiaye

Al-Hilal's interest has become more serious because it is not coming out of nowhere. Fabrizio Romano said the Saudi club are in talks with Everton over a potential transfer this summer, while another report described the move as early-stage negotiations. Everton, though, are still treating the situation as one they can control.

There is also the pull from England. Manchester United and Liverpool have both been monitoring Ndiaye's situation, but monitoring is not bidding, and neither club has turned that interest into anything concrete. United won 3 of their last 5 league matches, while Liverpool won 1 of their last 5, yet Al-Hilal remain the side moving most aggressively.

The Saudi club's ambition is clear enough too. They already completed a deal for Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United this summer, and that kind of quick business changes the feel of the chase. Everton's response has been equally clear: Ndiaye is not available just because there is noise around him.

For now, the leverage sits with Everton. If Al-Hilal want to turn talks into a deal, they will have to meet the terms the club are willing to accept, and Everton are making no secret of what those terms are.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →