A stunning new Everton transfer claim emerged on Tuesday evening about star man Iliman Ndiaye.
David Moyes has seen a number of players depart Merseyside already this summer, with players leaving at the end of their deals.
The 62-year-old Everton manager is pushing for new players to come through the doors at Finch Farm and bolster the squad.
Moyes wants nine new signings at Everton before the window shuts on 1 September.
What the fans have not been preparing for this summer is a big departure, and that is what was being suggested by Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking to Everton News, chief transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey has provided some context around the quotes to emerge on Tuesday.
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Everton did not offer Iliman Ndiaye to Inter Milan
Ironically, it is former Everton forward Ademola Lookman who is at the centre of this speculation.
The Atalanta forward is set to join Inter Milan, but the discussions have hit a stage where some hardballing is being shown by the selling club.
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Bailey has admitted Ndiaye was put forward as an alternative option to Inter, but not by Everton, and certainly not by the player himself.
“Intermediaries have been doing their work – offering alternatives to Inter, one of which was Jadon Sancho, for instance,” Bailey told Everton News.
“Another was Ndiaye – nothing at all from the player or Everton – but he was a name put to Inter within recent weeks.
“So it is true, to the extent that third parties offered him – but that is the norm with most deals.”
What Fabrizio Romano said about Everton’s Ndiaye and Inter Milan
The Friedkins are looking to make a statement signing this summer for Everton ahead of the move into the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, it was being suggested that Everton’s star forward is being ‘offered’ elsewhere.
In an unexpected turn of events, Romano claimed Ndiaye had been put forward to Serie A giants Inter Milan as an alternative to Lookman.
“I can give you a behind-the-scenes insight, one of the players who has been offered to Inter, for instance, is Iliman Ndiaye of Everton as an opportunity for that position, a creative player who can provide goals and assists, but Inter hasn’t got this kind of intention,” he said on his Italian YouTube channel (5:40).
“So I can tell you that, at the moment, Inter are not proceeding.”
How much is Ndiaye worth to Everton
Ultimately, this is not a summer where Everton are going to be forced into a big sale due to PSR, and Ndiaye will not be up for sale.
The Friedkins have transformed Everton’s finances, and the Toffees can finally look forward to a brighter future.
This report from Romano will certainly have taken many by surprise, but Everton are not looking to sell Ndiaye this summer.
Ndiaye appears to be happy on Merseyside, and any potential deal to see him leave would have come at a staggering price.
Southampton have demanded £50m for Tyler Dibling from Everton. If this is the going rate, then Everton could set any price tag they wish on the Senegal international.