Everton Set £69m Price Tag for Iliman Ndiaye Amid United Interest
Everton are preparing to slam the door in Manchester United’s face over Iliman Ndiaye – and they’re doing it with a price tag designed to end the conversation before it starts.
United, newly reshaped under permanent boss Michael Carrick after his impressive interim stint delivered Champions League football, are scouring the market for reinforcements across the pitch. Midfield is already being addressed, with Ederson expected to arrive from Atalanta, while a move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago is being lined up.
But it’s out wide where things are getting interesting.
United circle as contract stand-off rumbles on
Carrick wants another forward who can stretch defences and switch flanks. Ndiaye ticks those boxes. The 26-year-old, signed by Everton from Marseille for just £15m in 2024, has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most adaptable attackers.
Last season under David Moyes, Ndiaye spent most of his time on the right wing but also featured 11 times on the left. Across the campaign he produced six goals and three assists, numbers that only tell part of the story for a player whose movement and work rate have turned him into a key figure at Goodison Park.
That rise has not gone unnoticed. United and Liverpool are both tracking the former Sheffield United forward as they look for a new left-sided option. The timing is awkward for Everton. Ndiaye is locked in a contract stand-off, refusing to sign fresh terms unless a release clause is included, and he is currently preparing for the World Cup with Senegal.
The tension has opened a crack. United are testing how wide it might go.
Everton’s £69m answer
Everton’s response has been blunt. According to The Athletic, the club intend to put a “prohibitive valuation” on Ndiaye, demanding around £69m (€80m / $92.7m) before they will even consider a sale.
It is a figure chosen with a clear reference point. Anthony Gordon’s recent £70m move from Newcastle United to Barcelona has reset the market for young, Premier League-proven wide forwards. Everton believe Ndiaye belongs in that bracket and are happy to use Gordon’s fee as a benchmark – and a deterrent.
The message to United, Liverpool and anyone else watching is simple: if you want him, you will have to pay elite money.
Moyes draws a line
That stance mirrors the tone from the dugout. Moyes has been consistent and emphatic about where Ndiaye sits in his plans.
While Everton may need to move players on this summer to balance the books and fund new arrivals, the manager has made it clear that his Senegalese forward is non-negotiable. Ndiaye has already turned down multiple contract offers over the past year, but Everton still hold a strong hand: he is under contract for another three years, and the club want to extend that on improved terms.
Speaking in April, Moyes did not bother with subtlety.
“He is the last person I would consider selling,” he said, underlining just how central Ndiaye has become. “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.
“But it is getting too hard to build teams and also supporters are looking for a quick return, which managers are not getting. So why would we be giving up their better players?”
For a manager who has seen squads dismantled before they were ready, Ndiaye represents something he is not willing to lose: continuity, quality, and a forward around whom he can build.
Stand-off with Old Trafford watching
So the stage is set. On one side, a player who wants security but also a clear path out if a giant comes calling. On the other, a club that knows it must sell smartly this summer but refuses to weaken its core.
United’s interest is real, but Carrick’s recruitment team are not short of options in wide areas. Ndiaye is one of several wingers on their radar, not the only one. A £69m starting price, coupled with Everton’s hardline stance, may push them to look elsewhere.
Or it may force a decision: pay the premium for a versatile, Premier League-ready forward in his prime, or walk away and risk watching him explode in someone else’s colours a year from now.
For now, Everton are holding firm. Ndiaye is the last player Moyes wants to lose. The question is how long that resolve holds if the bids start to match the rhetoric.
