**Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye has revealed his aim to play Champions League football.**
Ndiaye is currently at the World Cup ahead of Senegal’s opening group fixture against his birthplace France on Tuesday night at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
But the winger’s long-term future on Merseyside remains unresolved with the Blues keen to reward his impact since joining from Marseille in the summer of 2024.
Talks with Ndiaye’s camp over a fresh contract extension are yet to deliver a breakthrough with his existing deal at Hill Dickinson Stadium expiring in 2029.
Several Premier League clubs are understood to be tracking the 26-year-old’s situation with a view to potentially testing the resolve of David Moyes’ side.
Ndiaye has not agitated for a move away from Everton but admitted to SportBible that he is targeting a long-term aim of playing in Europe’s elite club competition.
He said: “Everyone’s going to be watching the World Cup. It’s definitely a big opportunity for me.
“You don’t know where football will take you next. As I’ve always said, I want to be the best player and to do that, you have to play at the top.
“I want to be playing at the top level. I want to be playing Champions League football.”
The former Marseille man also disputed suggestions that Everton’s late-season slump was caused by fatigue as they missed out on continental qualification.
Moyes’ side remained in the hunt for a Champions League place after March’s win over Chelsea but fell away with no wins in their final seven matches of the season.
It (the season) has gone okay, personally, I think I could have been better,” added Ndiaye.
“The start of the season was very good but the second part, not so much. I don’t think it’s fatigue. For me, the team has not been at its best.
“You can speak individually, but when the whole team is not working, you can’t really say this player is fatigued or not doing well.
“At the same time, I don’t think I’ve played enough games. I went to AFCON but actually, I don’t think that’s enough.
“I want to be playing in Europe, in the Champions League, I want to play in all of these games.”