Iliman Ndiaye Wants Champions League Football Amid £70m Everton Talk
Iliman Ndiaye has put his future in play by saying he wants to be playing Champions League football while speculation grows over Everton’s willingness to sell. The 26-year-old has been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City this summer, and the comments sharpen the question around what it would take to keep him at Goodison Park.
Ndiaye Sets the Bar
Ndiaye did not hide the target. "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."
He also framed the ambition as part of a longer push rather than a short-term swipe at Everton. "When I look back at everything I’ve done, everything I’ve been through, it is something to be proud of. But it doesn’t stop here. You don’t stop when you’ve made it. You want to go further and achieve things," he said.
That is the friction point for Everton. Ndiaye joined the club in 2024 and scored 11 goals in all competitions in his first season, then six in all competitions last campaign. He has 39 caps for Senegal, a record that matches the scale of the interest around him and explains why his words land now.
Everton’s £70m Line
David Moyes has described Ndiaye as "the last person I would consider selling," and Everton would only entertain significant offers for him. Reports suggest the club will place a prohibitive valuation of around £70m on the forward, using Anthony Gordon’s £70m move from Newcastle United to Barcelona as the benchmark.
That figure leaves Everton with a clear stance: a sale would need to be exceptional, not routine. Ndiaye’s own words point toward a player aiming higher, while the club’s price signals that any exit would have to clear a very high bar. For supporters, the message is simple — the summer links are real, the price is steep, and Everton are not setting this up as a quick decision.
Senegal And The Next Step
The timing also sits alongside Senegal’s World Cup campaign, with Ndiaye due to start against France in New Jersey on Tuesday night. That gives him another stage while the club debate continues around him, and it keeps the focus on a player whose form, ambition and valuation now sit in the same conversation.
For Everton, the next move is less about public noise and more about whether a club matching that level of ambition is prepared to meet the price. Ndiaye has said he wants to play at the top; the market will now test whether Everton can hold him to the contract side of that equation.
