Sheffield United have earned promotion back to the Premier League, but one of their key figures could leave this summer. Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Iliman Ndiaye is close to agreeing to personal terms with Ligue 1 side Marseille. With this in mind, Sheffield United and Marseille are expected to engage in transfer talks soon in hopes of reaching an agreement. Romano states Ndiaye wants the move to Marseille.
Despite being a Senegalese international, Iliman Ndiaye grew up in France and previously played in Marseille’s academy between 2010 and 2014. He then had a brief academy spell in his father’s home country of Senegal before moving to England, linking up with Boreham Wood. Eventually, Ndiaye made his way to Sheffield United in 2019, but it wasn’t until this past season he made headlines.
Sheffield’s offense ran through Iliman Ndiaye last season. He played both the role of a playmaker and a goalscorer. Ndiaye netted 15 goals but also 11 assists in 46 Championships matches last season. He was a feature in the EFL’s Championship Team of the Season lineup.
Marseille has a shot at playing Champions League football next season, starting in the qualifying round. That will surely be a big lure for Ndiaye on top of returning to a former club. Even with just a year left on his contract, Sheffield United should be able to get a solid fee for Ndiaye. Should they want to survive relegation, they will have to reinvest the funds wisely, especially since they are expected to operate on a relatively tight budget. Sheffield so far has signed Tunisian midfielder Anis Slimane from Danish side Brondby for an undisclosed fee.
While a move to Marseille is looking likely, Premier League side Everton were also sniffing around on a potential deal.