The future of Iliman Ndiaye was always going to be a talking point for Sheffield United going into January and it now appears the club are braced for bids.
Ndiaye has been the star of the show for United this season and has been rewarded with a call to Senegal’s World Cup squad over in Qatar. The forward started – and impressed – for Aliou Cisse’s side in their 2-1 win over Ecuador and will now come up against England on Sunday.
For United fans, Ndiaye’s performances in Qatar are no surprise. However, with January around the corner, it appears there is interest.
The Sheffield Star reports how bids are expected for Ndiaye. It’s reported how coaching staff at Shirecliffe are now ‘convinced’ that ‘concrete’ bids will come in for Ndiaye. As things stand, there is no mention of specific clubs when it comes to that interest.
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The Star adds further that Paul Heckingbottom has made it clear to his board that selling Ndiaye now will hinder the promotion push. Ndiaye has around 18 months left on his current deal. And with no sign of an extension right now, it’s put the Blades board in a tricky situation.
Ndiaye’s stay in Qatar – along with Adam Davies – is expected to earn United around £500k. The club could well look to put that money towards negotiations for a new deal for the forward.
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While most of the talk over the summer was about Sander Berge leaving, most United fans would now accept that Ndiaye is the main man.
The forward has been nothing short of sensational this season. Should he leave in January, it leaves a hole which would be nigh on impossible to fill. That’s why Heckingbottom’s request to keep him, even though his contract is running down, makes so much sense.
United could bring in £20-25m for Ndiaye. But as usual, the issue would be who comes in to replace him? Forwards of his quality are hard to find, more so at Championship level.
Ultimately, the club needs to sit down with Ndiaye and his team here. A new contract is ideal. But if that can’t be sorted, then they have to convince him to stay put for now and hopefully, fire us to promotion. From there, Premier League money could well talk and Ndiaye might well remain in red and white.
