Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement in principle to sign Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.
The north London giants have had a brilliant summer transfer window and they have already bolstered their attack with the signings of Omar Marmoush and Savio from Manchester City.
The club were linked with Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo last week and have now finalised a deal to sign Ndiaye from the Toffees.
Meanwhile, a separate verbal agreement has been reached for Richarlison’s potential return to Everton from Tottenham. Both transfers are subject to personal terms and medical tests.
Spurs are likely to pay around £60 million for Ndiaye, while they want around £35 million in return for Richarlison’s exit.
Experience
Ndiaye has been one of the Toffees’ standout performers. He registered 6 goals and 3 assists in 32 league appearances last campaign. Aside from his goal involvements, he also grabbed attention with several other attributes.
The Senegal international won an impressive 2.3 dribbles per game and also excelled with his defensive traits. He won 6 duels per outing with an average of 2 tackles and almost 6 recoveries for the Merseyside outfit.
The 26-year-old is a perfect team player and would suit manager Roberto De Zerbi’s playing style. He has primarily featured as a right winger for Everton this year, but could slot on the opposite flank for Tottenham going forward.
With his arrival, De Zerbi has been handed a new-look attack by the club’s owners. Marmoush looks the front-runner to lead the line with Savio on the right wing. Ndiaye could make the left wing position his own ahead of Mathys Tel.
Spurs have plenty of depth in attack with Tel, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison in their ranks, and De Zerbi needs to turnaround the club’s fortunes sooner rather than later or his head coach position could start being scrutinised.
Tottenham have made the worst possible start with two defeats in as many league games. They are right at the bottom of the table with a -5 goal difference, and De Zerbi will expect a better showing against Nottingham Forest on the road on Saturday.
