Everton close to signing £20m striker who is ‘like a FIFA cheat code’ after Yankuba Minteh deal collapses

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Everton are now close to making their second signing of the summer after Tim Iroegbunam – having seen a deal to sign Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle collapse.

It seemed as if Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be joining the Magpies, with The Gambia international moving the other way after he told Eddie Howe he would like to sign for the Toffees.

However, TBR Football understand that Newcastle have refused to pay Everton’s asking price for the England international, meaning Yankuba Minteh is unlikely to move to Merseyside – although Kevin Thelwell has swiftly moved on to an alternative…

Everton close to signing Iliman Ndiaye

A story from Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato now states that Everton are close to signing Marseille No.29 Iliman Ndiaye.

The Senegal international has already agreed to join the Toffees, with Everton and Marseille now just ironing out the final details of the deal.

Aouna did not disclose how much Everton have offered to sign Ndiaye – although Marseille will presumably be looking to recoup most of the £20m they spent to sign the striker from Sheffield United back in August 2023.

The man from Rouen – aged 26 – endured a tough 2023/24 campaign with the French giants, scoring just four goals in 46 appearances.

However, Ndiaye struggled to find a comfortable spot in the starting XI, being deployed on the left and right flanks on numerous occasions, which appeared to stunt his progress.

Kevin Thelwell could sign a “FIFA cheat code” for Sean Dyche

There’s a reason Marseille spent £20m to sign Ndiaye last summer – he is a seriously talented footballer, one mostly proven in English football.

The Everton target impressively scored 15 goals and also provided 12 assists in the 2022/23 campaign to fire Sheffield United back into the Premier League, with his old teammate Tom Graham calling him a “FIFA cheat code” during an interview with The Athletic as he tormented opponents at Sunday League level.

He said: “One of our guys asked what the ____ he was doing playing against us. Apparently, he’d been playing non-League but was going for some trial at Palace and wanted to stay fit. He was like a FIFA cheat code in their team.”

READ MORE: “Scary”: Amadou Onana reacts to news coming from Everton

Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Everton close in on Ndiaye’s signature…