Everton remain interested in Marseille forward Iliman Ndiaye but the former Sheffield United ace has ‘no intention’ of joining the Premier League club during the January transfer window.
The Toffees missed out on Iliman Ndiaye when he sealed his £14 million move to France over the summer, and looked destined for further disappointment should they renew their interest in January.
According to FootMercato, Everton are not yet ready to accept defeat in their long-running pursuit of the Senegal international. But maybe they should be. After only a few months back at Marseille, the club he represented for a brief spell as a teenager, Ndiaye has ‘no intention’ of crossing the Channel again in the New Year.
That is a firm ‘no’ then. Not just for Everton but for another as yet-unnamed Premier League club rumoured to be keeping tabs on the Normandy-born 23-year-old.
Everton to miss out on Marseille star Iliman Ndiaye again
Ndiaye spent four seasons at Sheffield United from 2019 to 2023. He was arguably their star player in the promotion-winning campaign under Paul Heckingbottom, Ndiaye’s creativity, guile and goalscoring potential much missed by a Blades team lacking sharpness and cutting edge in the final third these days.
“He does things you can’t coach,” Jack Lester, who works as a coach at Sheffield United, told the Daily Mail of the ‘incredible’ Ndiaye. “He’s so natural, the way he deals with the ball. Beautifully balanced and poised.
“Iliman told me his Dad played music as they practised his skills as a kid and you can see it come through in his game. His shoulders rock, almost as if he’s dancing. He goes past defenders, puts them down with his upper-body movements.
“He’s a lovely lad, always smiling. Very popular. Fearless, a tough kid. Strong on the ball and not nice to play against.”
‘Incredible’ Iliman
Everton, according to The Star, failed with a £25 million bid for Ndiaye on the final day of the winter window nearly a year ago, only for that very same player to leave Bramall Lane for a fraction of that fee a few months later.
The Toffees could turn their attention to Hugo Ekitike of PSG or Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier with another attacker a priority after Christmas.
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