Arsenal told starting price for Iliman Ndiaye negotiations - transfer expert
Everton should tell interested clubs this summer that their initial asking price for Iliman Ndiaye is £100million.
That is the opinion of former senior Everton scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with the 26-year-old, after their hopes of signing Vinicius Junior were ended when he signed a new contract at Real Madrid.
Al Hilal had been in talks for Ndiaye but appear to have struggled for progress, with Everton desperate to keep him on Merseyside this summer.
But the Toffees will be aware that a potentially difficult decision is approaching for the Senegal international, who has refused to sign a new contract.
His current terms are due to expire in 2029, and letting him enter the final two years of that deal would see Everton's hopes of securing a sizable fee vastly reduced.
'If I was Everton I'd say...'
Everton signed Ndiaye from Marseille in 2024, and his adaptation to the Premier League was relatively seamless.
The winger's first campaign saw him score nine league goals, and last season, he netted six and added three assists.
It is other aspects of his game that are behind the hopes that a big move could see him explode, however.
Only Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku completed more dribbles than Ndiaye in the Premier League last season, with the Everton man completing 73 for a team with far less possession.
The winger also won 191 duels and recorded 178 recoveries - winning 6.17 duels per 90 and recording 5.75 recoveries every game.
Arsenal would also be interested to know that Ndiaye's goals and assist numbers underperform his expected numbers, with his teammates sometimes letting him down.
"If I was Everton, I'd say, right, £80m. Let's start at £100m and then we see where we go from there," King told Football Insider.
"Nobody's going to pay £100m for him in the Premier League but the Saudi Pro League, they're now in a stage where they are desperate to bring in name players. "
What has Ndiaye has said about his future?
Should the Premier League champions come knocking, it will be hard for Ndiaye to say no.
The question would be if a deal could be agreed with Everton, however, and whether the winger would be willing to make his own efforts to push it through.
"You don’t know where football will take you next," the 26-year-old told SportBible in June.
"As I’ve always said, I want to be the best player and to do that, you have to play at the top. I want to be playing at the top level. I want to be playing Champions League football.”