Everton's Stance on Iliman Ndiaye Amid Manchester United Interest

Manchester United have picked their moment. Champions League football secured, Michael Carrick confirmed as permanent manager, recruitment plans moving from whiteboard to real bids. The club want a new midfielder, a new centre-forward, and a wide attacker who can play across the front line.

That last brief has led them straight to Iliman Ndiaye – and straight into a wall of Everton resistance.

United interest meets Everton’s hard line

United’s scouts have been tracking Ndiaye as they reshape the attack. Ederson is expected to arrive from Atalanta to bolster midfield, a move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago is being worked on, and now attention has turned to a winger who can flip flanks and still carry a goal threat.

Ndiaye fits that profile. The Senegal international, who is preparing for the World Cup, impressed under David Moyes last season after arriving from Marseille for just £15 million in 2024. Although used predominantly off the right, he also featured 11 times on the left and ended the campaign with six goals and three assists.

That versatility has put him on the radar of both United and Liverpool, each hunting for a left-sided attacker who can also operate elsewhere across the front three.

The timing is awkward for Everton. Ndiaye is locked in a contract stand-off, refusing to sign fresh terms unless an exit clause is included. With multiple offers already turned down over the past year, the situation has alerted clubs who sense an opportunity.

Everton’s response has been blunt: if you want him, pay a fortune.

A price tag designed to scare

According to The Athletic, Everton have placed what has been described as a “prohibitive valuation” on Ndiaye. The figure? Around £69 million (€80m / $92.7m) just to bring them to the table.

It is a price set with a clear reference point. Anthony Gordon’s recent £70m move from Newcastle United to Barcelona has been used as the benchmark, a deal Everton believe underpins their stance on the value of a prime-age, Premier League-proven wide forward.

The message to United and any other suitor is simple: this will not be a bargain raid. This will not be a distressed sale.

Everton know they may need to move players on this summer to balance the books and refresh Moyes’ squad. But they are determined that Ndiaye will not be the easy solution to any financial problem.

Moyes: “The last person I would consider selling”

If the board are digging in on the numbers, Moyes is digging in on principle.

The Everton manager has been unequivocal about Ndiaye’s importance. Speaking in April, with speculation already swirling, he made his stance crystal clear.

“He is the last person I would consider selling,” Moyes said.

“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?”

Ndiaye still has three years left on his current deal. Everton want to extend that and reward him with a more lucrative contract, locking in one of their key attacking pieces for the long term. So far, the player has not budged.

That tension – a club desperate to keep him and a player unwilling to commit without a clear escape route – is exactly what has encouraged United and Liverpool to hover.

United weigh their options

Whether United treat that £69m price tag as a challenge or a deterrent will define the next phase of this pursuit.

Carrick and the Old Trafford hierarchy are not short of alternatives. Ndiaye is one of several wingers under consideration as they build a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts next season, both domestically and in Europe.

United want flexibility in the forward line, greater depth, and more goals from wide areas. Ndiaye offers all three. Everton, though, are behaving like a club who know exactly what they have.

If someone wants to prise him away, it will take more than interest and admiration. It will take a bid that tests not just Everton’s resolve, but their entire strategy for the summer.