Everton's Stance on Iliman Ndiaye Amid Manchester United Interest
Manchester United have identified Iliman Ndiaye as a live option for their revamped attack under Michael Carrick. Everton’s response is to slam the door and bolt it.
The Merseyside club are ready to slap a “prohibitive valuation” on the Senegal forward, with a price tag of around £69m set to greet any formal enquiry from Old Trafford or elsewhere. The message is simple: if you want him, you’ll have to pay Anthony Gordon money.
United’s new era under Carrick, made permanent after he guided them into next season’s Champions League, is already taking shape. Midfield is being addressed, with Ederson expected to arrive from Atalanta, but the recruitment drive does not stop there. The club want more firepower, more options, more variety across the front line.
Ndiaye fits that brief.
A £15m signing from Marseille in 2024, the 26-year-old quickly became one of David Moyes’ key attacking pieces at Everton. He spent most of last season on the right flank but still found time to drift to the opposite side, making 11 appearances on the left and ending the campaign with six goals and three assists. That positional flexibility has not gone unnoticed at Old Trafford, nor at Liverpool, who are also in the market for a left-sided attacker.
The timing is delicate. Ndiaye is preparing for the World Cup with Senegal, while his contract situation at club level has opened the door to speculation. Talks over a new deal have stalled, with the player refusing to sign fresh terms unless an exit clause is included. Everton want him tied down on a longer, more lucrative contract. Ndiaye, quite clearly, wants options.
That tension has alerted the elite. United and Liverpool see a player entering his prime, Premier League-proven, capable of operating across the front line and adding cutting edge to squads that will be stretched by domestic and European demands.
Everton’s answer is to point at the market.
Anthony Gordon’s recent £70m move from Newcastle United to Barcelona has become the benchmark. If Gordon goes for that, why should Ndiaye be cheap? Internally, the £69m figure is designed as a deterrent as much as a valuation, a number meant to make even the biggest clubs pause.
Moyes, for his part, has been unflinching.
The Everton manager has made his stance crystal clear, both privately and in public. Speaking in April, he described Ndiaye as “the last person I would consider selling” when asked about the possibility of losing the forward this summer.
“There are others as well [that I wouldn’t want to sell], but my point is I have no interest in hearing the talk if there is talk out there,” Moyes said at the time. He went on to lament how hard it has become to build teams while managers are pushed for quick results, asking why any club would willingly let their better players go.
Everton’s financial reality complicates that ideal. The club may need to move players on to balance the books and reshape the squad, but Ndiaye is the one Moyes is determined to ringfence. He has already rejected multiple contract offers over the past 12 months, yet he remains tied to Goodison Park for another three years. On paper, Everton hold the power. In practice, prolonged stand-offs rarely stay quiet for long.
This is where United’s resolve will be tested. Carrick’s recruitment team are scouring the market for wide forwards, and Ndiaye is not the only winger on their radar. But his name keeps resurfacing for a reason: he offers versatility, work rate and end product, all wrapped in a profile that can grow with a new project.
Everton have drawn their line at £69m. Now it’s up to United, and any other heavyweight eyeing Ndiaye, to decide whether they cross it or look elsewhere for the wide threat they crave.
