Man City set to prioritise £80million Iliman Ndiaye transfer clearing path for Tottenham to sign Cody Gakpo

MANCHESTER CITY are set to prioritise Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye to complete their summer squad overhaul. And that would clear the way for Spurs to land City’s secondary target, Liverpool’s Dutch left-sider Cody Gakpo. Everton have pinned an £80m price tag to Iliman Ndiaye Credit: Getty Cody Gakpo is a target for Manchester City and Tottenham Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Everton have set an £80million asking price for Senegal schemer Ndiaye, 26, who still has three years left on his Toffees contract. City boss Enzo Maresca believes Ndiaye’s dribbling and ball-carrying abilities will add an extra dimension to his side’s attacking armoury. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Maresca could then utilise Antoine Semenyo in a more central role if Erling Haaland is absent. The move would leave the door open for Spurs to make a deadline-beating swoop for Gakpo, who is set to be surplus to requirements at Anfield. Liverpool have been reluctant to sanction Gakpo’s departure until they can complete the £120m signing of Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola. But that is now poised to go through, with the Reds expected to want £65m-plus from Spurs for Gakpo. Ndiaye would likely round off City’s attacking recruitment but they retain an interest in central midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Etihad bosses did not cough up £120m to snap up the Argentine before the deadline set by Chelsea earlier this month. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK But it is understood the Stamford Bridge club would still be open to doing business at the right price. City have sanctioned sales for a host of midfielders and forwards this summer, including Rodri‘s move to Barcelona and Omar Marmoush‘s loan switch to Tottenham. They have signed Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi to strengthen a midfield department which could yet be bolstered by Fernandez. But a senior attacker in the Ndiaye mould is still needed to avoid leaving Maresca short. Comment now