Everton complete signing of long-term target Ndiaye

Iliman Ndiaye became Everton's second acquistion of the summer transfer window today when his £15m move from Marseille was rubber-stamped.

The Senegal international has been on director of football, Kevin Thelwell's list of targets since he began garnering attention for his performances in the Championship with Sheffield United the season before last.

Widely regarded as the best player in the second tier as the Blades successfully earned promotion back to the Premier League, he made what he thought would be a dream move to France but he found his time there difficult as he struggled to replicate the form he has showed at Bramall Lane.

That has allowed Everton to move in and acquire this summer and it is hoped that he can add some much-needed guile and goals to Sean Dyche's side.

The fee is officially undisclosed but is widely reported to be in the region of £15.6m (~€17m) plus add-ons, with Marseille's acceptance of staggered payments said to have been key to the deal.

Ndiaye was a star performer for the Blades during their promotion-securing season in 2022-23 when he scored 15 goals and weighed in with 12 assists across 52 appearances in all competitions.

He played 46 times for Marseille last season but only scored four times, in indication of how difficult he found the transition to Ligue 1 and of a move that didn't pan out the way he had hoped.

There were other clubs believed to be interested in signing Ndiaye this summer but the player had indicated that Everton were his preferred destination.

At 24, the forward is at an attractive age and promises to bring much-needed invention and guile to Everton's forward line.