Everton's Stance on Iliman Ndiaye Amid Manchester United Interest

Manchester United have found the door slightly ajar. Everton are trying to slam it shut.

Iliman Ndiaye, one of Goodison Park’s brightest attacking sparks, has emerged as a serious summer target for United as Michael Carrick begins to reshape a squad heading back into the Champions League. The response from Merseyside has been blunt: if you want him, prepare to pay a premium.

Sources indicate Everton have slapped what they consider a “prohibitive” price tag on the Senegal international, valuing him at around £69 million (€80m / $92.7m). It is a figure designed less as an invitation and more as a warning.

The benchmark? Anthony Gordon’s £70m switch from Newcastle United to Barcelona. Everton believe Ndiaye belongs in that bracket, and they are not shy about saying so with their valuation.

Carrick’s rebuild, though, is not a token exercise. United’s hierarchy, encouraged by his impressive stint as interim boss and subsequent permanent appointment, are ready to go aggressively into this window. Midfield is already being addressed, with Ederson poised to arrive from Atalanta, but the forward line is next in line for surgery.

United’s recruitment team have a deal in the works for Brentford striker Igor Thiago, yet they also want a wide attacker who can operate across the front. That is where Ndiaye comes sharply into focus.

A contract stand-off has opened the crack. Ndiaye, who joined Everton from Marseille for £15m in 2024, has so far refused to sign a new deal unless it includes an exit clause. That stance has alerted both United and Liverpool, each hunting for a new left-sided attacker and each aware that top-level versatility is now gold dust.

Ndiaye offered exactly that last season. Deployed mainly on the right under David Moyes, he still found time to drift left, starting 11 times on that flank. Across the campaign he finished with six goals and three assists, numbers that only tell part of the story of his influence in Everton’s attack.

He is 26, entering his prime, and preparing for a World Cup with Senegal. From a selling club’s point of view, it is the perfect storm. From Everton’s point of view, it is a storm they are determined to ride out.

Moyes clear: “The last person I would consider selling”

For all the financial realities at Goodison, Moyes has been unwavering. Everton may need to move players on this summer to balance the books and fund new arrivals, but he has drawn a thick line through Ndiaye’s name on any potential sales list.

Speaking in April, the Everton manager did not bother with subtlety.

“He is the last person I would consider selling,” Moyes said when asked about the growing speculation.

“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?”

The club hierarchy share that view in principle. Ndiaye is under contract for another three years, and Everton want to extend that on improved terms, tying him down to a longer and more lucrative deal. The problem is the player’s insistence on an exit clause, a detail that turns every negotiation into a tug of war.

For now, Everton’s answer is simple: protect the asset by pricing him out of reach. If a club wants to test their resolve, they know the starting point.

United weigh their options

Whether that £69m tag genuinely scares United off is another matter. Old Trafford has seen big numbers before, and Carrick’s wish list is not restricted to one name. Ndiaye is firmly on the radar, but he is not the only winger being tracked as United prepare for a season on multiple fronts.

The calculation for United is clear. Is Ndiaye the wide forward who justifies a fee in the Gordon bracket, or does that money go elsewhere in a squad that still needs depth and quality across several positions?

For Everton, the equation is different but just as stark. Hold firm on a player Moyes sees as central to his project, or bow to the financial gravity that has already forced so many Premier League clubs into painful sales.

Ndiaye’s stance on a release clause, United’s need for a flexible forward, Everton’s determination to act like a club that keeps its best players rather than sells them – all of it is now locked together.

One side will blink. The only question is which, and how expensive that moment turns out to be.