Manchester United are monitoring Everton's Iliman Ndiaye and are weighing up a £70 million approach for the Senegal international, according to sources close to the club. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has emerged as a primary target as United look to fill the creative void left by Marcus Rashford's departure — a search that has taken on greater urgency as the summer window moves into its final weeks.
Ndiaye has spent two seasons at Everton following his move from Sheffield United, and the level of his improvement in that time has been dramatic. He arrived at Goodison Park as an exciting prospect. He leaves for talks as one of the most sought-after attacking players in the Premier League — direct, two-footed, and capable of moments of genuine brilliance.
Why United Want Ndiaye
The appeal is straightforward. Ndiaye operates best when he has space to run into and licence to take risks — two conditions that suit Ruben Amorim's system at Old Trafford. He can play across the attacking line, contributes goals and assists in roughly equal measure, and brings a directness that United have lacked since Rashford's best form.
At £70 million, he would not be the most expensive signing of the window, but he would represent genuine investment in quality. United have been cautious this summer with significant expenditure, so this move — if it comes to fruition — signals a shift in approach. Amorim wants players who can make things happen off their own initiative, and Ndiaye is exactly that kind of footballer.
Everton's Position
Everton are under no financial pressure to sell, and their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock has changed the landscape of what the club can realistically hold onto. They signed Ndiaye as an asset and have watched his value grow. Whether they are willing to part with him for £70 million — a sum that would be a record sale for the club — depends largely on whether Ndiaye himself pushes for the move.
There are indications he is open to listening. A move to Old Trafford carries obvious appeal: Champions League football if United qualify, a larger platform, and a significant personal contract upgrade. But nothing is agreed, and Everton will not be rushed.
The Rashford Comparison
Ndiaye is not Rashford — no direct comparison holds up under scrutiny — but he occupies a similar role in the imagination of United supporters: a wide attacker with pace and flair who can change a game from nothing. Whether he can do that consistently at Old Trafford, where the weight of expectation is unlike anything else in English football, remains the question. Given his trajectory so far, the evidence is encouraging.
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