Al-Hilal Pursues Iliman Ndiaye as Everton Faces Tough Decision

The Saudi pull is tightening around one of Everton’s brightest talents. Al-Hilal have accelerated their pursuit of Iliman Ndiaye and are now understood to have agreed personal terms with the forward, leaving only a fee with Everton between the player and a move to the Saudi Pro League.

The 26-year-old has been on Al-Hilal’s radar throughout the summer, his form on Merseyside turning quiet interest into a full-scale push. After two eye-catching seasons at Goodison Park, the sense is growing that his Everton chapter is nearing its end.

Signed from Marseille for £15million in 2024, Ndiaye quickly became one of the Premier League’s most watchable attackers. Direct, inventive, and unafraid of responsibility, he injected badly needed flair into a side more often associated with grit than guile.

That impact has come with numbers. Since arriving at Everton, the Senegal international has scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 71 appearances, output that has drawn admiring glances from abroad and strengthened the club’s bargaining position.

Now comes the stand-off.

Al-Hilal have made their move, agreeing terms with Ndiaye’s camp and opening talks with Everton. The Saudi side are described as “pretty hopeful” of getting a deal done, but the fee remains the major obstacle. Everton, under financial pressure yet unwilling to be bullied in the market, are holding out for a hefty sum for a player who has become central to their attacking identity.

The dynamic is clear: Ndiaye wants the move. He has already rejected several new contract offers from Everton since the start of the year and has made it known he wishes to leave. With his stance firm and personal terms settled, the leverage is shifting. The pressure now sits squarely on the negotiating table.

For Everton, the dilemma is brutal but familiar. Cash in at the right price and risk tearing a hole in the team’s creative structure, or dig in and keep a player whose head may already be elsewhere. They are determined, at the very least, to ensure that if they lose their star man, they do so on their own terms.

Behind the scenes, contingency plans are already in motion.

David Moyes, facing the prospect of losing his most inventive forward, will need a replacement capable of carrying similar creative weight. Former club chief Keith Wyness has revealed that Everton are keen on Bologna’s Jonathan Rowe as a potential successor.

Rowe, an England youth international, comes off a strong season in Serie A, where he registered eight goals and four assists in 43 games. Those numbers, combined with his age and profile, make him an attractive option for a club that may soon have both a sizeable hole in its attack and, if Al-Hilal meet their demands, a sizeable cheque to fill it.

Everton’s stance is simple: they want the highest possible fee. Reports have already suggested they would be prepared to accept an offer in the region of £70million, a figure that would transform their room for manoeuvre in the market and reshape the squad in one stroke.

For now, everything hinges on whether Al-Hilal are willing to climb to that level. Personal terms are done. The player is ready. The Saudi club are pushing.

The next bid may decide not just Ndiaye’s future, but the direction of Everton’s season.