Sheffield United striker Iliman Ndiaye is yet to sign or even sit down to discuss a new contract at the club, according to The Sheffield Star.
Ndiaye’s future is one of the major talking points around Bramall Lane right now. Ndiaye’s nine goals this season culminated in him getting the call into the Senegal squad for the World Cup. However, he didn’t feature as they lost 2-0 to the Netherlands with Aliou Cisse seemingly preferring other options.
And closer to home in Sheffield, it doesn’t seem like there’s much to do about a new contract for Ndiaye either.
Ndiaye no closer to new Sheffield United contract
The Sheffield Star reports that while United and Paul Heckingbottom have invited Ndiaye and his reps to the negotiating table, the forward’s team are in no rush to do so.
Ndiaye’s rise has seen him become a man in-demand. Sitting atop the Championship goalscoring charts at Bramall Lane, he is attracting admiring glances from the Premier League.
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United got Ndiaye to sign a new deal before the start of last season. However, he has just over 18 months to run on that deal. That amount of time will be a worry for United, who could be left with a tricky decision if a concrete bid comes in January.
The Star also quotes its ‘sources’ as saying that from Ndiaye’s perspective, it makes more sense for them to hang fire.
“The less time on it, the more the ball is in their court. He’s someone there’s bound to be interest in and so his club will obviously want to get something done. But because he’s such an important player, there’s no rush. If he stays, whatever he gets is going to have to reflect that. If nothing gets done, then his value is going to get recognised in anything else he signs going forward. That’s the way the market is. That’s how things work.”
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The club can’t really win at the moment. They’re obviously trying to get Ndiaye and his team round the table to discuss fresh terms. But as it stands, nothing is happening.
And with January around the corner, it puts the Blades in a tough situation. Fans will be fuming if he is sold. However, if a bid of £25-30m comes in and no sign of a new contract remains, then the club might have to sell.
Hopefully, the situation is resolved in the best way possible for player and club. In an ideal world, United go up with Ndiaye leading the charge and he signs a new deal. Failing that, the board simply has to get as much money as possible to reinvest in the team.
