David Moyes has been set a challenge over keeping Iliman Ndiaye, but one of Everton’s former players reckons they face a transfer dilemma over the Senegal World Cup star.
Everton have attempted to hand Ndiaye a new contract on improved wages as a reward for his form since his £15million move from Olympique Marseille in July 2024.
But despite having been in talks since the start of the year, his camp have rejected a number of contract offers for the star, who is among Manchester United’s potential summer targets.
Arsenal and Manchester City are also reportedly among Ndiaye’s admirers. However, given the player is under contract until 2029, Everton are under no obligation to entertain interest.
Ndiaye outlined his aspirations to play Champions League football in an interview before the World Cup, where he netted his first goal in the tournament when he completed a 5-0 rout against Iraq in Senegal’s final Group I fixture, following up a mazy dribble with an emphatic right-foot strike from outside the area.
However, despite starting their round-of-32 clash against Belgium alongside club colleague Idrissa Gueye, Ndiaye was left helpless following his 73rd-minute substitution as the Lions of Teranga surrendered a 2-0 lead, conceding twice in the final four minutes.
Efforts from the Blues’ all-time leading Premier League goalscorer Romelu Lukaku (86) and Youri Tielemans (89) took the contest into extra-time, with the Aston Villa midfielder then dumping Senegal out of the competition with a last-gasp penalty in the additional period.
David Moyes addressed the issue of Ndiaye's future head-on when speaking in his pre-match press conference to preview Everton’s 2-2 draw at Brentford on April 11.
Asked whether the Blues can move on from having to sell their top players amid speculation over top teams casting admiring glances at Ndiaye, the manager said: “He is the last person I would consider selling.
“There are others as well [that I wouldn’t want to sell], but my point is I have no interest in hearing the talk if there is talk out there.
“I don’t think there is any club that is not a selling club at the right value for their player. I am not saying that means he is for sale, I am not, I just think it is a genuine thing where there is a price where people would say: ‘well, we have to do something.’
“But it is getting too hard to build teams and also supporters are looking for a quick return, which managers are not getting. So why would we be giving up our better players?”
Richard Dunne reckons that Everton face something of a quandary when it comes to keeping hold of Ndiaye. The Dubliner, who made his debut for the Blues as a 17-year-old before going on to make 431 Premier League appearances throughout his career, told the ECHO: “I think Iliman has done brilliantly for Everton. I’ve been pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t sure whether he would have the impact he’s had, but he’s been fantastic and has done really well.
“What happens generally with players who do really well is that they get the traction from somewhere else and end up wanting to move. If they can keep him for next season, Everton’s aim has to be to ensure they get European football to make sure that he stays.”
However, the 46-year-old, who was speaking courtesy of William Hill, added: “It’s one of those though. If you get the right money, it might be that Iliman leaves and you end up putting together a team that gets you into Europe because they spend it well, build better and become a bit more structured in what they do.
“He’s been enjoyable to watch and a player who has made a great impact. Hopefully they can keep him but the potential money that becomes available if they do sell him could be a lot and could be very beneficial to the team.”