Iliman Ndiaye is closing in on a £65m move to City, but his route to the Etihad has been anything but straightforward.
The City target is undergoing a medical ahead of completing his Deadline Day move from Everton, with the clubs agreeing a deal worth £60m plus a further £5m in add-ons.
It is quite a destination for a player who suffered a series of setbacks while trying to make his way into professional football in England.
Ndiaye had trials with Chelsea and Tottenham as a youngster, but neither resulted in a contract.
Southampton also took a look at the Senegal international before deciding not to keep him, a rejection Ndiaye has since admitted left him in tears.
At that stage, a future move to the Etihad for a fee potentially worth £65m would have seemed a long way off.
Ndiaye’s persistence eventually paid off
The breakthrough eventually came at Sheffield United.
After playing non-league football with Boreham Wood, Ndiaye impressed during a six-week trial with the Blades in 2019 and earned himself a contract.
Even then, his progress was gradual.
He spent time on loan with Hyde United before establishing himself in Sheffield United’s first team and becoming one of the Championship’s most exciting attacking players.
That earned him a move to Marseille in 2023 before Everton brought him back to English football a year later.
Two seasons at Hill Dickinson Stadium have now put Ndiaye on the brink of the biggest transfer of his career.
City have agreed to pay £60m plus £5m in potential add-ons for the 26-year-old as Enzo Maresca continues the major reshaping of his squad.
There will inevitably be plenty of discussion around the size of that fee and how Ndiaye fits into City’s attack.
But his route to this point is worth remembering.
Chelsea and Tottenham decided against him. Southampton did likewise.
Seven years after Sheffield United finally offered him his opportunity, Ndiaye is now on the verge of becoming a City player.
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