Iliman Ndiaye's Move to Al-Hilal: Everton's Dilemma
The Iliman Ndiaye era at Everton is moving towards a decisive break point. The Saudi Pro League has circled, and now one of its biggest predators is closing in.
Al-Hilal have agreed personal terms with the Senegal international and are pushing hard to finish a deal with Everton, according to multiple briefings to Football Insider. The player’s side is aligned. The only argument left is the price.
Everton, as ever, are holding the line.
Star man, serious interest
Ndiaye has been on Al-Hilal’s radar all summer, his stock rising after another standout campaign on Merseyside. Since arriving from Marseille in a £15million move, he has grown into one of the Premier League’s most watchable forwards, a player who can change the rhythm of a game with a turn, a feint, a burst between the lines.
Across 71 appearances for the club since 2024, he has produced 17 goals and three assists. Those numbers only tell part of the story; his influence on Everton’s attacking identity has been far greater.
That is precisely why Everton are driving a hard bargain. Al-Hilal want a statement signing. Everton want a statement fee.
On the Transfer Insider podcast, it was outlined that Al-Hilal have now opened formal talks with Everton and are “trying to progress this deal as soon as possible.” Personal terms, the tricky bit in many cross-continental transfers, are already in place. The Saudi side are described as “pretty hopeful” of getting it done.
Ndiaye’s stance and Everton’s dilemma
Inside Finch Farm, there is no illusion about the direction of travel. Ndiaye has made it clear he wants to leave and has turned down several new contract offers since the start of the year. When a player of his importance pushes that firmly for a move, the dynamic changes.
Everton now face a familiar modern dilemma: cash in at peak value or risk losing a major asset on less favourable terms later. The club’s stance is straightforward – if Ndiaye goes, he goes on their terms, for the highest fee they can extract from a cash-rich league that has already reshaped the global market.
Al-Hilal, backed by serious financial muscle, have shown they will pay to get what they want. The pressure is building on both sides of the table.
Replacement plans already in motion
Everton cannot afford to be caught flat-footed. David Moyes, back in the Goodison dugout and charged with steadying the club, would lose his most inventive playmaker if Ndiaye departs in this window. Plans to replace him are not theoretical; they are already being discussed.
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness has told Football Insider that the club are keen on Bologna attacker Rowe as a potential successor. An England youth international, Rowe registered eight goals and four assists in 43 games in Serie A last season, a return that has put him on recruitment lists beyond Italy.
He is not a like-for-like clone of Ndiaye, but he fits a similar profile: young, energetic, technically sharp, and with room to grow. For a club that has had to balance the books while trying to rebuild, that sort of profile matters.
The question now is timing. Everton want maximum value for Ndiaye before they commit serious money elsewhere. Al-Hilal want to close the deal quickly and fold him into their star-studded project. Rowe waits in the wings as a possible heir to the role.
One move triggers the next. If Al-Hilal meet Everton’s demands, Goodison will lose one of its brightest lights – and the Moyes rebuild will be defined in part by who walks through the door to replace him.
