Iliman Ndiaye has made his ambition public. He said he wants to be playing Champions League football, while Everton are making it clear they do not want to let him go, with David Moyes saying he is the last player he would consider selling. The club are expected to ask around £70million, and Ndiaye still has three years left on his deal.
Everton's stance on Ndiaye
Moyes did not dress it up. "He is the last person I would consider selling," he said, and he added that clubs only move at the right value. That is the shape of Everton's position, even with Manchester United and Al-Hilal Saudi FC both being linked in reporting around the forward.
The price point is doing a lot of work here. Everton paid £15m when Ndiaye arrived from Marseille, so a valuation around £70m is a serious mark-up, but it is also the sort of number that makes negotiation difficult rather than impossible. The club are under no pressure to sell, which is why this reads more like a retention fight than a routine market update.
Ndiaye's ambition and the case for keeping him
Ndiaye's own words are blunt enough. "I want to be playing at the top level. I want to be playing Champions League football," he said. That is the tension at the centre of this story. The player is not hiding his ambition, and the clubs interested in him are not being quiet either.
There is also enough on-field evidence to see why he is being discussed at this level. Ndiaye has 17 goals and 3 assists in 71 appearances for Everton. For Senegal at the World Cup, he made 3 appearances, played 127 minutes, scored 1 goal and produced 2 assists. He started one of Senegal's four World Cup games, and that is the sort of output that gives bigger clubs a reason to look.
The strongest read here is that Everton are right to hold firm. A player who is productive for club and country, still has three years left on his contract, and is being priced at around £70m is not the sort of asset you let drift without a fight. Ndiaye may want the next step, but Everton have every reason to make it expensive.
FAQ
Why do Everton want such a high fee for Iliman Ndiaye?
Everton are expected to ask around £70million for Iliman Ndiaye, and he still has three years left on his contract. They paid £15m when he arrived from Marseille, so they are in no mood to let him go cheaply.
Does Iliman Ndiaye want to leave Everton for Champions League football?
Ndiaye said he wants to play at the top level and added, 'I want to be playing Champions League football.' That puts his ambition in plain view, even as Everton say he is the last player they would consider selling.
Are Manchester United and Al-Hilal interested in Iliman Ndiaye?
Yes. The reporting cited interest from Manchester United and Al-Hilal, while Everton have not made formal contact with Al-Hilal over Ndiaye in the reporting cited by the Echo and mirror.co.uk says no talks between clubs have taken place.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
