Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye is shortlisted as a ‘top transfer target’ by a number of clubs in the Premier League and abroad, according to a report.
Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye has been shortlisted as a ‘top transfer target’ by a number of clubs in the Premier League and abroad, according to a report.
The 25-year-old has established himself as an important first-team player for the Toffees since joining from Sheffield United for around £15m in the summer of 2024.
Ndiaye scored a team-high 11 goals across all competitions in his debut campaign at Everton, including the final two goals in the club’s last match to be played at Goodison Park in May (a 2-0 win over Southampton).
The Senegal international is also leading the way for goals in David Moyes’s team this season, netting three times in his opening eight Premier league appearances for a Toffees side who sit 12th in the table.
Earlier this week, Ndiaye was listed as one of 10 nominees for the African Player of the Year along with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Achraf Hakimi and Victor Osimhen.
Ndiaye’s impressive performances are also understood to have caught the attention of several European clubs ahead of next year’s winter and summer transfer windows.
European clubs ‘keenly monitoring’ Everton star Ndiaye
According to TEAMtalk, major Premier League rivals are eyeing up Ndiaye and it has been suggested that the Everton star could be the subject of bids in January.
Clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are said to have identified Ndiaye as a versatile attacker who can operate as a No.10 or on either flank.
Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan, as well as Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid, are also among those ‘keenly monitoring’ Ndiaye’s progress at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton are determined to keep hold of Ndiaye and Moyes has previously insisted that the Toffees are “not in the business of letting go our best.”
With that in mind, sources claim that any potential suitors for Ndiaye would need to submit an ‘gargantuan’ offer in excess of £60m to even bring Everton to the negotiation table, a price reflecting the attacker’s contract until 2028.
Ndiaye in no rush to leave Everton project
In the summer, The Athletic claimed that Serie A giants Inter Milan attempted to sign Ndiaye for a fee in the region of £40m following their Champions League final hammering at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Ndiaye responded to those rumours earlier this month and has suggested that he has no plans to bid farewell to the Everton project any time soon in favour of joining a new club.
As quoted in Everton’s matchday programme before their 2-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, Ndiaye said: “As I always say, if there are rumours or interest like that, it must mean you’re doing something right, right?
“I’m really happy to be at this club and be part of a new project with the new stadium, new ownership.”
Ndiaye is expected to feature for Everton in their next Premier League game against one of his rumoured admirers, Tottenham, at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.