Sheffield United might be loving what Iliman Ndiaye brings to the table right now but he might not even have been here if Nottingham Forest got their way.
According to a report from The Athletic earlier this week, Forest were considering a bid of between £4-5m for Ndiaye after being impressed with him in the playoff fixtures. At the time, it was believed that United’s players might be available on the cheap after missing out on promotion. Forest, then, were considering testing the water.
Of course, we all know that the United board held firm when it came to Ndiaye and others. Sander Berge was a wanted man all summer, while the likes of John Egan and Max Lowe also remained at the club.
Ndiaye has since one on to heights few would have predicted so soon. He is joint-top scorer with Oli McBurnie and got himself an assist in the World Cup as Senegal beat Qatar on Friday.
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United could well be bracing themselves for bids for Ndiaye in January. The young forward only has 18 months on his current contract. Paul Heckingbottom has made it known to the board he wants a new deal sorting ASAP for his star man.
Sheff U News View: Forest bid for Ndiaye insulting
If a £5m bid had come in for Ndiaye from Forest it would be have been laughable. The Senegalese star is worth miles more than that and it would have been a quick read the email and delete from United’s board.
Ndiaye is one of the best players in the Championship and despite his contract situation, United can still command a huge fee for their man.
Of course, if Ndiaye goes for big money, then that’s fair enough. But for Forest to think £5m would be enough is, well, simply baffling.
