Tottenham Enters Ndiaye Transfer Battle with £80m Stakes

Tottenham Hotspur have thrown their weight into one of the window’s most intriguing transfer fights, joining Manchester City and Arsenal in the hunt for Everton’s Ndiaye.

A club already north of £300 million in spending under Roberto De Zerbi is not slowing down. Not yet.

De Zerbi wants one more weapon

Spurs have rebuilt aggressively this summer, but De Zerbi still sees a missing piece. Omar Marmoush is in. Savio has arrived from Manchester City. The wide areas look stacked on paper, yet the head coach is pushing for one more elite attacker to finish the job.

For a while, Cody Gakpo looked like the chosen man. That trail has cooled. Attention has swung firmly to Ndiaye, the 26-year-old Senegal international who has grown into one of Everton’s standout threats at Goodison Park.

The Italian did little to hide his intentions when he spoke on Friday.

"I didn’t expect a transfer window like we have done. I think we can do one player more in one specific position," De Zerbi said. "Yesterday we went to dinner with the owners, Johan [Lange, sporting director] and Vinai [Venkatesham, chief executive] and we spoke about this. All of us are on the same page and a very good connection."

That is as clear as it gets. Tottenham are not done.

From Saudi brink to Premier League tug-of-war

Ndiaye’s summer has already taken one dramatic twist. At one stage, he looked set for a money-spinning move to the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal were widely reported to be closing in, the deal described as virtually complete before the player executed a late U-turn.

He chose to stay in the Premier League. That single decision has changed the shape of the market.

The league’s elite have circled. Manchester City view him as a live option to refresh their attacking depth after departures in the squad. Arsenal have kept tabs. Now Spurs, with cash already spent and ambition still burning, have stepped into the ring.

A three-way battle at the top of the English game rarely ends quietly.

Everton dig in behind £80m stance

Everton, though, hold strong cards. Ndiaye is tied down on Merseyside until the summer of 2029. There is no release clause being whispered about, no looming contract expiry forcing their hand, even if he has turned down a new deal.

The message from Goodison is simple: if you want him, pay.

The Toffees have slapped an £80 million valuation on their Senegal star, a figure designed to test how serious these suitors really are. It is not a fee to tempt opportunists. It is a fee to scare them off.

Manager David Moyes underlined the club’s position when asked about the growing noise around his forward.

"We’re certainly not in a hurry to sell our best players, that’s for sure," Moyes said on Friday. "As far as I know, we’ve got nothing to be concerned about, we’ve had no contact from any club. Somebody told me we had contact with Al-Hilal during the summer, we had nothing from them."

No offers. No formal talks. Only pressure building from the outside.

High stakes as deadline approaches

So the scene is set. Tottenham, already transformed under De Zerbi, searching for one last cutting edge. Manchester City, always ready to strike if the right profile becomes available. Arsenal watching closely, weighing whether to step in.

And Everton, braced, insisting they will not fold cheaply on a player whose value to them stretches far beyond a balance sheet.

With the clock ticking on the window and Ndiaye’s stock rising, someone will have to blink. The only question now is which of England’s heavyweights is willing to cross the £80m line to find out.