Everton set to sign their own Sadio Mane who is 'going to be elite' player

Everton-bound Iliman Ndiaye has previously been tipped to become an ‘elite’ player.

The attacking midfielder is closing in on a switch to Goodison Park from Marseille. Ndiaye is poised to become the Blues’ third signing of the summer after Tim Iroegbunam joined from Aston Villa for £9 million while Jack Harrison returned to spend a second season on loan from Leeds United.

Ndiaye could well have been an Everton player for a year had he chose Merseyside over Marseille last summer. He earned his switch to the French side after a scintillating 2022-23 campaign at Sheffield United as they earned promotion to the Premier League. Ndiaye racked up an impressive 15 goals and 12 assists to spearhead the Blades to Championship promotion.

In truth, his campaign at Marseille was disappointing as he yielded only four goals and five assists in 46 outings. Yet Ndiaye has underlined his quality - and aged 24 still is several years away from hitting his peak.

He’s a 22-cap Senegal international who will unite with his compatriot Idrissa Gana Gueye at Everton. And Ndiaye has also been compared to fellow countryman Sadio Mane in the past.

Mane enjoyed eight wonderful years in the Premier League. The majority were spent at Liverpool where he won six major trophies including the Champions League and Premier League. Certainly, if Nidaye follows a similar trajectory then Everton will be signing a top-class operator - and his former Sheffield United team-mate Chris Basham once backed him to do just that.

Basham told journalist Alan Briggs: “Every day in training he’s hard to play against. He uses his body so well, his feet are so fast and he’s powerful.

“He’s going to be elite - it’s just whether it’s going to be with Sheff United. He’s learning very well, his finishing is good. It can be better at times, but he’s 20, maybe younger.

“He’s scoring some outrageous goals in training – the boys just buzz off how good he is. It’s great and a privilege to have him in our side.

“You know every game...I said in the Premier League, the hardest person I ever had to play against was Mane. He [Ndiaye] will be up there for sure, he’s from the same country as well, he produces the same type of quality. He’s going to be right up there. Credit to his family and himself more than anything for doing what he’s done.”