Manchester City sign Iliman Ndiaye for £65m after £80m Gakpo move collapses

Manchester City have signed Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye for an initial £60m, with a further £5m available in add-ons, completing the deal on transfer deadline day. The 26-year-old Senegal international becomes City’s answer to the wide-forward vacancy left by Omar Marmoush, who departed to Tottenham on a loan deal carrying a £60m obligation to buy next summer.

Ndiaye arrives having scored 17 goals for Everton since joining the Toffees from Marseille in 2024, featuring in each of their first three matches of the current campaign. He could make his City debut as early as Saturday’s home fixture against Coventry.

The deal was far from straightforward. City had first opened talks with Liverpool over a potential £80m move for Netherlands international Cody Gakpo — a transfer Anfield were prepared to sanction if they could secure a replacement. When Liverpool were unable to strengthen their own squad, the Gakpo move was shelved, prompting City to refocus their attention on Ndiaye.

Tottenham had also been in the frame for Ndiaye, with a proposed deal that would have seen former Everton striker Richarlison return to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. That arrangement broke down, clearing the path for City to move decisively and wrap up the signing.

Ndiaye was unequivocal about his desire to make the move. “It’s easy to make the decision about whether you want to be at Manchester City or not,” he said. “You can see the recent history; you want to be part of that project. They talked to me about where we could go, what we could achieve with me in the team, and I was interested from the beginning. There was nothing else that I wanted other than joining Manchester City.”

He added: “It’s an unbelievable moment. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and I’m super excited and really grateful for this opportunity. I feel like I will fit right in. I’m super excited to start.”

City Sporting Director Hugo Viana highlighted Ndiaye’s character as much as his ability. “Iliman is a very talented footballer. He’s had to work incredibly hard to reach this level and in my first conversation with him it was immediately obvious how grounded he is and the determination he has to be the best player he can be,” Viana said. “I’ve no doubt City fans will get a thrill seeing him in action for us. We know this club develops players — we make a commitment to every single player we sign that we will make them better footballers.”

City’s recruitment team had identified Ndiaye as a player capable of operating from wide positions while also offering flexibility through the middle, a profile designed to ease the goalscoring burden on Erling Haaland.