Manchester City have reached an agreement in principle with Everton for the signing of forward Iliman Ndiaye.
A deal consisting of an initial £60million plus £5million in potential add-ons is in the process of being finalised for the 26-year-old, and he is expected to undergo a medical on Tuesday morning.
City’s move for Ndiaye comes after The Athletic reported on Monday that Cody Gakpo appears set to stay at Liverpool this summer after the Merseyside club rejected a bid of up to £80m (€93m, $108m) for the Netherlands international from City.
Tottenham and Everton had reached an agreement in principle over a deal for Ndiaye over the weekend. An agreement was also reached over a separate deal for Richarlison to rejoin Everton from Spurs.
Spurs have since made an enquiry over a potential loan move for Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that Manchester City had shown interest in Ndiaye, with Everton keen on a deal which would see Jack Grealish return to Hill Dickinson Stadium, having spent last season on loan in Merseyside.
Ndiaye declined multiple new contract offers last season with three years left on his existing Everton terms.
Club sources maintain that Ndiaye, who started Everton’s first three matches of the season and recorded an assist in the opener against Crystal Palace, has behaved professionally throughout the summer.
Ndiaye joined Everton from Marseille in 2024 for a fee of £15m (€17.7m, $19m). He has scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 73 games for the club.
An uncharacteristic City transfer saga
Analysis from Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee
It has all happened very quickly but this has been quite the saga, and the kind of deal City have not been involved in for years.
As recently as the middle of last week, City had reached out to both Ndiaye and Gakpo at Liverpool. By Saturday night, City had convinced Gakpo to join them and prioritised that move, while Tottenham moved in on Ndiaye, which involved Richarlison going the other way.
Fast forward to Monday night and Gakpo cannot leave Liverpool as they cannot get a replacement, and Tottenham’s move for Ndiaye appears to have broken down over Richarlison.
City know they must sign a new forward this summer after selling Savinho and Omar Marmoush and so they quickly reignited their interest in Ndiaye.
The winger had a fine season at Everton and promises to bring chance creation and impressive work rate to the Etihad Stadium, although, a bit like Gakpo, it looks more of a solid than a spectacular signing.