Fight for Sheffield United’s Iliman Ndiaye intensifies amid Marseille talks

Sheffield United, as previously reported in The Star, are offering a new deal to Iliman Ndiaye whose current contract runs out at the end of the current campaign.

The star forward’s performances in the past two seasons have placed Ndiaye on the ‘possible’ list of a large number of clubs, however, crucially, Marseille are the team to show the most interest.

Ndiaye has never made any secret of his wish to one day play in Ligue 1 with Marseille, his boyhood club, previously saying: “I’m an Olympique de Marseille fan. I dream of going back there to become a Marseille legend, I can’t stop thinking about it. And even if it’s not now, if it’s in several years, I will continue to work.”

Overnight reports in France suggest that dream could soon become a reality with one outlet stating that an agrrement in principle over a five-year contract for the Senegal international has already been reached.

United were always going to be left in a difficult position over Ndiaye, due to the remaining length of his contract.

They could sell their prized asset and while their budget wouldn’t allow for a like-for-like replacement, the money could be spent on rebuilding other areas of the squad. They could offer a new deal, knowing that one season in the Premier League could potentially see his star further rise, along with his value. Or they could keep hold of the player for this season to help them stay up and he could then leave on a free next summer.

United are offering a new contract but whether it will be enough to keep the 23-year-old remains to be seen. As things stand, Ndiaye is under contract and unless he agitates for a move or the hierarchy at S2 feel as though they are getting value on a transfer fee and agree to sell, he will remain at Bramall Lane for the forthcoming campaign.

Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom stated at the end of United’s promotion-winning season that his wish was to keep as much of the squad together as possible and that includes Ndiaye and Sander Berge, another saleable asset who has drawn interest in the past few transfer windows.

Heckingbottom said earlier this week: “We are on the same page. We want to keep them and we will do all we can to keep them.

“The difficulty is they have gone into the last year of their contract and all of a sudden it becomes a financial issue as well. If it is anything football (related), we know exactly what we get from those players.

“They are really important players to us and I think they enjoy their time with us as well. We have really good for them. Nothing is a given. We are determined to try and keep the boys. We know how difficult a transfer window can be. We have got our fingers crossed.”

Anis Ben Slimane looks likely to become United’s first summer signing with Tunisia international due to undergo the second part of his medical on Wednesday.