Everton are set to lose one of their most distinctive attacking players after agreeing a deal worth up to £65m for Iliman Ndiaye to join Manchester City.
The agreement will see Everton receive £60m up front, with another £5m potentially following in add-ons, as Ndiaye prepares to undergo a medical ahead of the move.
It represents a considerable return on the player signed from Marseille in 2024.
Financially, it is difficult to argue with the business. On the pitch, replacing Ndiaye may prove considerably harder.
Everton are losing more than goals
Ndiaye’s numbers only tell part of the story.
He scored nine Premier League goals during his first season at Everton before adding another six goals and three assists last term. He had already registered an assist in the opening two league matches of this campaign.
But his value to Everton was always about more than the final touch.
Ndiaye could carry the ball, receive it in tight areas and turn an ordinary attacking situation into something dangerous. He brought unpredictability to a side that has not always possessed enough of it.
There was his versatility, too.
Whether starting from the left, operating centrally or moving between the two, Ndiaye gave David Moyes different ways of setting up his attack.
That individualism will be missed.
The expected return of Jack Grealish would give Everton another player capable of creating from the left, but Grealish and Ndiaye are different players.
At 26, Ndiaye should also be entering the prime years of his career, which helps explain why Man City have been prepared to make such a substantial late-window investment.
Everton can reasonably point towards the size of the fee and the opportunity it gives them to reshape the squad before the deadline.
Still, supporters are entitled to feel conflicted.
Everton appear to have sold well.
They have also lost an excellent footballer.
Both things can be true.
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