David Moyes has been set a challenge over keeping Iliman Ndiaye, but former Everton defender Richard Dunne believes the club faces a transfer dilemma regarding the Senegal World Cup star. Ndiaye, who joined from Olympique Marseille in July 2024 for £15 million, has attracted interest from Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City.
Contract Talks Stalled
Everton have attempted to reward Ndiaye's form with a new contract on improved wages, but talks since the start of the year have stalled. His camp has rejected several offers, and the player is under contract until 2029. Despite this, Ndiaye's aspirations to play Champions League football were outlined in an interview before the World Cup, where he scored his first tournament goal in Senegal's 5-0 win over Iraq.
World Cup Heartbreak
Ndiaye started Senegal's round-of-32 clash against Belgium alongside club colleague Idrissa Gueye. However, after being substituted in the 73rd minute, Senegal surrendered a 2-0 lead, conceding twice in the final four minutes. Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans forced extra time, and Tielemans' last-gasp penalty eliminated Senegal.
Moyes' Stance
Speaking ahead of Everton's 2-2 draw at Brentford on April 11, Moyes addressed Ndiaye's future. He said: 'He is the last person I would consider selling. 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. I don’t think there is any club that is not a selling club at the right value for their player. I am not saying that means he is for sale, I am not, I just think it is a genuine thing where there is a price where people would say: well, we have to do something. 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 our better players?'
Dunne's Analysis
Richard Dunne, who made his Everton debut as a 17-year-old and went on to play 431 Premier League matches, told the ECHO: 'I think Iliman has done brilliantly for Everton. I’ve been pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t sure whether he would have the impact he’s had, but he’s been fantastic and has done really well. What happens generally with players who do really well is that they get the traction from somewhere else and end up wanting to move. If they can keep him for next season, Everton’s aim has to be to ensure they get European football to make sure that he stays.'
However, Dunne added: 'It’s one of those though. If you get the right money, it might be that Iliman leaves and you end up putting together a team that gets you into Europe because they spend it well, build better and become a bit more structured in what they do. He’s been enjoyable to watch and a player who has made a great impact. Hopefully they can keep him but the potential money that becomes available if they do sell him could be a lot and could be very beneficial to the team.'
