Liverpool Transfer Rumours: Iliman Ndiaye Interest Raises More Questions Than Answers
There are transfer rumours, and then there are transfer rumours that make you stop and ask one simple question, why? The latest line, credited to Mark Brus in the Daily Briefing, is that Liverpool have a “genuine” interest in Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye and have held “direct talks” with his camp. That deserves scrutiny.
Start with the obvious. Cross-city deals are rare for a reason. Everton do not want to strengthen Liverpool, and Liverpool do not usually spend heavily on players who need that much explaining. It can happen, of course, but when it does there tends to be a clear football argument. Here, that case feels thin.
Ndiaye is 26. He is a good footballer, lively, mobile, capable of carrying the ball and working in tight spaces. He can unsettle defenders. Fine. But if Liverpool are looking at the top end of the market for a forward, this is supposed to be about raising the level, not filling a squad slot with an expensive compromise.
Photo: IMAGO
Iliman Ndiaye transfer stance looks hard to justify
The report says Everton want £75m. If true, that is the first red flag. Not because clubs should not ask for big money, they should, especially for players they do not want to sell to rivals. But Liverpool have to be rational. A fee of £75m for Ndiaye, based on the output seen so far in England, would be excessive.
The underlying point is simple enough. Liverpool have been linked with Bradley Barcola, a player with a very different ceiling and profile. If that move stalls because Paris Saint-Germain want around £128m, then switching to Ndiaye is not a like-for-like pivot. It is a retreat. There is no point pretending otherwise.
The original report also states: “Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all held talks with Ndiaye’s camp. Everton want £75m, which is too high, but it’ll be one to watch because the player is really keen to get a move.
“He’s decided against the Saudi option [Al Hilal] as he wants to keep playing at the highest level. I highly doubt Everton would sell to Liverpool, and there have been no club-to-club talks yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the asking price ended up being far higher for them.”
That reads like a familiar market exercise. Player side talks, several clubs mentioned, no club-to-club negotiation, and a valuation that looks inflated. In other words, interest may be real, but that does not make a transfer likely.
Liverpool recruitment must stay disciplined
Liverpool’s recruitment model has generally worked best when it is clear-eyed. Identify the right profile, stick to the valuation, move on if the price becomes silly. Ndiaye may well attract attention this window, and there is no issue with doing due diligence. That is smart business. The mistake would be confusing availability with suitability.
At his best, Ndiaye offers unpredictability and intensity. What he has not shown often enough is the elite-level end product that justifies a major fee and the political hassle of taking him from Everton. If Liverpool want a forward who changes matches regularly, they should demand more certainty than this rumour offers.
For now, this feels more like noise than a serious endgame.
Our View
From a sceptical Liverpool fan’s perspective, this one sounds like classic late-window clutter. You hear a name, you hear there were talks, and suddenly people start treating it as a real plan. It does not automatically work like that.
Ndiaye is a decent player. No need to insult him. He has talent and he can be entertaining to watch. But Liverpool should be aiming higher than decent when the figures being discussed are around £75m. That is the problem. If this were a sensible fee for a rotation option, maybe you could at least have a conversation. At this number, the conversation ends quickly.
There is also the rivalry angle. Everton would charge Liverpool extra, and rightly so from their side. Why should Liverpool walk into that trap? Paying over the odds for a player whose record does not scream elite output would be poor business, plain and simple.
If Barcola proves impossible, fine. Walk away. Find another target. Good recruitment teams are judged by how well they react when first choices fail. They are not judged by how fast they panic. Liverpool supporters have seen enough over the years to know the difference between a smart alternative and a downgrade dressed up as opportunism.
Unless the price drops massively, and unless the coaching staff see something very specific tactically, this feels like a move that creates more debate than improvement. That alone should be enough to leave it alone.
Source: Mark Brus for the Daily Briefing