Everton are very close to securing a deal for Marseille striker Iliman Ndiaye, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer guru wrote on X that the 24-year-old has already given the green signal to join Goodison Park, and the deal is at the “final stages”.
Everton submitted an opening bid last week to sign the former Sheffield United striker, but it was quickly rejected. Now, the Toffees appear to have made a fresh offer, and the deal is very close to being completed.
The Toffees are doing some early business this summer and have signed Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa. Jack Harrison, who impressed heavily on loan last season, has re-joined the Toffees from Leeds United on loan yet again.
Everton will be further boosted by the news that Newcastle United have pulled out of the deal to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has only a year left on his present deal.
Sean Dyche was keen to bolster the attacking department this summer, and the Toffees are now close to signing a new striker. Ndiaye may have struggled for the French outfit but Everton are “crazy” about him due to his previous performances for the Blades.
Ndiaye finished the last season with three goals and three assists in 30 league appearances. However, he had a successful spell in England, with 14 goals and ten assists in 46 games for the Blades in the Championship.
🔵⏳ Iliman Ndiaye to Everton, deal at the final stages with Olympique Marseille.
The player has already accepted to join #EFC, final details to be clarified and then here we go. pic.twitter.com/VnTvHkR02O
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2024
Everton were interested in signing Newcastle attacker Yankuba Minteh but it appears that he would be heading towards French outfit Lyon instead.
It is unclear at this stage how much Everton are paying to sign Ndiaye, but reports suggest that he could cost slightly over the £20 million Marseille paid for his services last summer.
Everton have sold Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa this summer, and there is a high possibility that the Toffees could still offload one top player to stay within the Premier League’s financial rules.
