In a recent wrap up of Everton's summer transfer window, Patrick Boyland of The Athletic mentioned a player who did not depart during the window: namely, Iliman Ndiaye.
There were a few rumors that teams were sniffing around the Everton star during the window, but that David Moyes was not at all interest in selling the player, even as the club brought in other attacking options such as Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Tyler Dibling to fill out the front line.
Ndiaye was Everton's top scorer last season despite missing a chunk of matches in February and March after exiting the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park with an injury, a match that would end in a 2-2 draw. But he returned in time for the reverse fixture at Anfield in early April and was integral to Everton's decent run of form to close out the season.
But now Boyland's article is shedding some light on how specific the inquiries about Ndiaye's services got.
In the article, which is an excellent piece focused on all the work done by Moyes and the transfer committee to improve the club this summer, Boyland notes that "last season's Champions League finalists Inter" asked about Ndiaye, "valuing the Senegal forward at around £40million," adding that the bid was "immediately rejected."
This is good news, since it is unlikely that Grealish has a chance to be an Everton player beyond this season, meaning a front four of Ndiaye, Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, and Theirno Barry is the future for Everton beyond this year.
It also shows that the club is not going to be bullied by so-called larger clubs across Europe, choosing to keep important players, something they haven't been able to do in recent years due to financial restraints and PSR compliance.
Nidaye only just turned 25 and there's reason to believe he can help lead the Everton line for years to come. In that regard, it is good to see that the club was unmoved by Inter's advances for the player, and that it could afford to make such a move.
If Everton want to continue to grow back into a powerhouse of English football, this will have to be the attitude it takes on. Iliman Ndiaye can serve as the totem for the moment, hopefully, things began to turn around on that front.