Ndiaye reveals Champions League ambition drove his £60m snub of Tottenham for City

Iliman Ndiaye has revealed that his determination to play Champions League football was the decisive factor in turning down Tottenham and completing a £60m move to Manchester City on transfer deadline day.

Spurs were the first club to table a bid for the Senegalese winger, with a £60m offer on the table as part of a wider deal that saw Richarlison return to Everton for £35m. But as soon as Manchester City registered their interest, Ndiaye’s mind was made up.

“For me it was always going to be City,” Ndiaye said. “I wanted Champions League and playing at one of the best teams in the world. I’m not saying Tottenham is not, but when Manchester City comes through, you don’t say no.”

Tottenham’s back-to-back 17th-place Premier League finishes appear to have counted heavily against them in Ndiaye’s thinking. The former Sheffield United and Everton winger said the prospect of European football at the highest level was a condition he had set himself before any departure from Goodison Park.

“This is where I think I belong,” he added. “I’ve worked hard to get to this point. When I was speaking with my wife, I was telling her if I had to leave Everton it would be somewhere where I know I would be playing Champions League.”

A conversation with City manager Enzo Maresca also helped seal the deal. “He’s someone that admired me and as soon as they came through I had only one direction where I wanted to go,” Ndiaye said.

The 24-year-old made his City debut in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Coventry, coming off late in the match. Ndiaye moved to ease any injury concerns, confirming he was substituted due to cramp rather than a physical problem.