Everton could face an unwanted test of their resolve over Iliman Ndiaye after Manchester City were reported to be showing interest in the Senegal international.
TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook says City are interested in Ndiaye and puts Everton’s valuation at around £80m.
Arsenal have also considered the 26-year-old, although Julian Alvarez is said to remain their dream attacking target.
There is no report of an offer from either club, and that, for now, is important. At present, this is interest in a player Everton have little reason to sell.
Ndiaye interest comes at awkward time for Everton
If nothing else, the timing will catch Evertonians’ attention.
David Moyes had only just finished explaining after the 4-0 win at Preston that his squad was “not big enough” and required “more quality in some areas”.
He also conceded that he was unsure whether Everton would manage to bring in the additional players he wants before the deadline.
Against that backdrop, losing Ndiaye wouldn’t help.
The former Marseille man is tied down until 2029 and has established himself as one of Moyes’ most important attacking players. That gives Everton considerable leverage if City’s interest develops into something more substantial.
It also explains why a significant valuation has been attached to him.
An £80m offer, were one eventually to arrive, would inevitably have to be considered. But this late in the window, Everton would have to weigh the money against the difficulty of replacing a quality member of Moyes’ starting XI with little time to replace him.
There is nothing at present to suggest matters have reached that stage.
The immediate significance of Crook’s tweet – and he’s one of the more ‘controversial’ members of the talkSPORT team – is simply that another major club is looking at Ndiaye while Everton themselves are still trying to strengthen.
Given what Moyes said at Deepdale, the preference from the dugout would surely be to add quality around Ndiaye rather than spend the final days of the window contemplating how to replace him.
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