If Everton were to sell star forward Iliman Ndiaye to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, they would likely receive a significant financial windfall. The Senegal international may have chipped in with a modest six goals — two of which were penalties — and three assists in the Premier League last season. For Everton last season, he attempted 136 dribbles and completed 73, 77 and 46 more than any other player in the squad, respectively.
Everton have announced Idrissa Gana Gueye has left the club after spending seven seasons on Merseyside across two spells. The Toffees confirmed the 36-year-old "will pursue a new challenge elsewhere" and that he provided "seven seasons of top-quality service to the Blues." The Senegalese defensive midfielder first joined Everton under ex-boss Ronald Koeman in 2016, and was sold to Paris St-Germain for a fee in the region of £30m in 2019.
Chelsea would accept a substantial fee for Nicolas Jackson this summer, despite the striker being given the chance to impress new manager Xabi Alonso during pre-season. Last week, the 44-year-old Spaniard said Jackson would join the tour of Australia and Asia after being part of Senegal's World Cup squad this summer. It follows Bayern Munich avoiding the triggering the £56.25m (€65m) obligation-to-buy clause in his loan deal, due to the number of appearances required to force a permanent move, leading Jackson back to Stamford Bridge.
Iliman Ndiaye is one of Everton's biggest assets and was at the centre of transfer talk before the World Cup. It remains to be seen whether the World Cup reignites speculation, but Everton will hope it stays quiet as Ndiaye is arguably their most creative player. Idrissa Gueye, Ndiaye's Senegal team-mate, had his Everton deal expire at the start of July, so is effectively a free agent.
The Golden Boot race still has Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé tied. The match that will determine the 2026 World Cup champions is the biggest event left in the tournament, but there is also an individual battle to follow as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé compete for the Golden Boot, awarded to the competition’s top scorer. The race has been one of the tournament’s main storylines since the opening match, with both players leading their teams deep into the competition. They are not alone in the race, as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham remain close behind, but Messi and Mbappé currently sit at the top of the standings. After seven matches each, Messi and Mbappé are tied with eight goals, with one game remaining for both players. Even if Mbappé can no longer win the World Cup after France’s semifinal loss to Spain, the third-place match against England gives him one final opportunity to add to his total. Golden Boot table RankPlayerTeamGoals1Lionel MessiArgentina81Kylian MbappéFrance83Erling HaalandNorway74Harry KaneEngland64Jude BellinghamEngland66Ousmane DembéléFrance56Mikel OyarzabalSpain58Vinícius JúniorBrazil48Ismaïla SarrSenegal48Julián QuiñonesMexico411Deniz UndavGermany311Johan ManzambiSwitzerland311Romelu LukakuBelgium311Cody GakpoNetherlands311Folarin BalogunUSA3
