Sheffield United key figure makes frank summer transfer admission on Iliman Ndiaye following Everton interest | OneFootball

Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp has conceded that Iliman Ndiaye is likely to attract more interest during the summer transfer window, speaking in an interview with The Sun.

The experienced forward has played alongside the Senegal international on several occasions this term, witnessing his exceptional performances for Paul Heckingbottom’s men with 10 goals and seven assists to his name in 28 league appearances.

His future was unclear heading into the winter transfer window though and throughout January, with the club being placed under a transfer embargo and potentially needing to sell someone to resolve this situation.

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However, potential future shareholder Dozy Mmobuosi has injected a ten-figure sum into the Blades and told the club’s existing ownership to resist the temptation of selling Ndiaye and fellow key man Sander Berge.

Everton were one side believed to be taking a closer look at him during the January window – but they failed to get a deal over the line for the 22-year-old in the end with the Toffees enduring an extremely frustrating month in the transfer market.

Although Sean Dyche’s side failed in their reported attempt to secure his services, Ndiaye is likely to continue attracting interest ahead of the summer window if he continues to play a key part for his current side for the rest of the season.

That’s something Sharp has acknowledged, saying: “And Iliman has been our star player — scoring 10 goals this season already and he’s been special.

“We saw glimpses of it last season but this season he has kicked on and added more to his game and I’m sure there were people interested in signing in last month and will be again this summer.”

The Verdict:

At 22, he’s certainly someone that a lot of sides will be looking at in the summer if he can remain fit and in form, because he could potentially be sold on for a huge amount in the future by his next club.

With his contract expiring in 2024 as well, it would be difficult to see him signing a new deal before the summer with promotion still not guaranteed and that could tempt some interested teams to launch a bid for him.

They may feel as though they have a decent chance of luring him away from Bramall Lane for a reasonable price, especially with United likely to be extremely reluctant to lose both him and Berge for free next year.

If neither player has signed a deal in the coming months, you would definitely expect one of them to be sold during the summer, although Berge could easily be the one that’s let go considering he wasn’t short of interest last month.

If the Blades are promoted though, that should give them a better chance of tying him down to fresh terms, though the player may benefit from keeping his options open because he could have a lot of offers on the table in 2024.