Everton face a defining summer as David Moyes prepares for his second full season in charge at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees have been linked with several incoming transfers, suggesting a squad focused on building rather than wholesale rebuilding.
Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney remains a player admired by Everton’s recruitment team, with the England Under-21 international also reportedly attracted by a potential move to Merseyside.
Defensive options are also being considered, with Man City pair Nathan Ake and John Stones linked alongside Aaron Wan-Bissaka as cover at right-back.
However, attention has now shifted toward a significant contract situation involving one of the club’s most influential attackers.
According to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, Iliman Ndiaye is open to leaving Everton amid uncertainty surrounding his current contract negotiations.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City have all been informed of the Senegal international’s availability should talks fail to reach a breakthrough in the coming weeks.
Ndiaye’s representatives have also held discussions with clubs across Europe, widening the pool of potential suitors considerably beyond the Premier League.
The forward has established himself as one of Everton’s most important creative outlets under Moyes, offering energy, unpredictability and the ability to carry the ball through pressure in the final third.
His performances over the past season have clearly attracted attention from some of English football’s most ambitious clubs.
While the situation carries obvious concern for Everton supporters, Bailey also reports that Moyes’ side remain relaxed and feel they retain total control, with Ndiaye contracted until 2029.
That contractual security gives Everton a strong negotiating position, even as agents hold talks with interested parties across England and the continent.
From Moyes’ perspective, keeping Ndiaye would almost certainly represent a top priority as he looks to maintain the continuity built during a positive campaign.
Losing a standout performer of Ndiaye’s quality would create a noticeable gap in the squad and complicate the manager’s plans to push further up the table.
Everton’s broader transfer activity appears designed to strengthen around the existing core group, making a Ndiaye departure even more disruptive to those ambitions.
The next few weeks could prove decisive in determining whether the Senegal international remains part of Moyes’ long-term plans at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
If a new agreement can be reached, it would allow Everton to focus their energy entirely on bringing fresh faces in rather than managing an unexpected exit.
Should talks stall further, the club may find themselves fending off increasingly serious approaches from clubs with the financial power to make the situation very difficult to control.