Iliman Ndiaye

Everton shut the door: Ndiaye is not for sale this summer

In early August, after the Vinícius Júnior deal collapsed, several English outlets reported that Andrea Berta had contacted Everton about Iliman Ndiaye, the 26-year-old Senegal winger, presented as the cheaper alternative to the marquee targets. Ben Jacobs described an enquiry, not a bid. Everton value him at £75m. The player has settled a different question: Fabrizio Romano reported on 11 August that he had decided against an Al-Hilal move and wants to stay in the Premier League, which leaves him theoretically reachable. Nothing since: no documented formal approach, no top-tier pick-up on the Arsenal side.

Latest development

1. 30/08Everton say no.

   The Merseyside club's position is clear: Iliman Ndiaye is not for sale this summer, and Everton expect to keep him despite English and Saudi interest. Arsenal had enquired among several left-wing profiles to anticipate Martinelli's exit; this one drops off the list. Cooled off, not denied: there was no formal rejection of a bid, simply a club that isn't selling.

2. 28/08 (morning)Manchester City move in, Arsenal stay a fallback.

   ESPN relayed a talkSPORT report on 27 August: Manchester City have registered interest in Iliman Ndiaye, and Everton want a bid in the region of £80m. On Arsenal, ESPN's wording matches ours exactly — the Gunners "could also join the race if they miss out on" Julián Álvarez.

   That is the file's real status: a fallback, not a priority. No Arsenal bid, no talks with Everton, and one more competitor. The entry stays at INTEREST.

3. 27/08 (evening)the link reactivates, and gets harder in the same breath.

   The Daily Mail's Simon Jones writes in the closing days of the window that Iliman Ndiaye is back on Arsenal's list as a fallback should the Álvarez pursuit fail, and mentions an £80m move. The same day, ArsenalNews report Manchester City have entered the race, and CaughtOffside that Chelsea are still tracking him.

   What is established: Everton have raised their valuation to around £80m, the Senegal international turned down a new contract this summer, and his name is circulating around Arsenal again. What is not: any bid at all. No top-tier source writes that Arsenal have moved, and the file is still explicitly framed as a spare wheel.

   We raise the entry from WEAK RUMOUR to ONE TO WATCH — a national newspaper's transfer correspondent is not an aggregator — without touching the stage: it is still interest, nothing more.

   New line, opened on 15/08 (evening), from 5-11 August reporting. It fills a gap in our tracking: left wing is the summer's most problematic position — Vinícius Júnior has extended at Real, Barcola prefers Liverpool, Morgan Rogers went to Chelsea, Yan Diomande to Real Madrid — and Ndiaye is one of the few concrete names to have emerged since. What is reported: contact from Andrea Berta with Everton (Ben Jacobs, relayed by CaughtOffside, GiveMeSport and Football365), a £75m price from Everton, and competition from Al-Hilal.

   What is established, though, comes from elsewhere: Romano confirmed on 11 August that Ndiaye had ruled out Saudi Arabia to stay in the Premier League. That is the only top-tier element in the file, and it says nothing about Arsenal. No bid, no negotiation, and nothing at all for nine days in the middle of the window. Minimum status, line kept for traceability.