Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Everton playmaker Iliman Ndiaye for a fee reported to be around £65 million, following the collapse of their pursuit of Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo. The Senegal international, 26, is expected to undergo a medical shortly with Manchester City, who structured the fee as £60 million plus £5 million in add-ons.

City’s interest in Ndiaye emerged as their attempt to secure Gakpo faltered. Liverpool halted negotiations after failing to agree terms for potential replacements, notably Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr. With the Gakpo deal off the table, Manchester City turned their attention to Ndiaye, who had also been targeted by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea during the transfer window. While Tottenham had reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Everton, the player’s preference had been to join Manchester City, leading to a last-minute switch in direction. This development also affected a linked deal involving Richarlison, who was expected to move from Tottenham to Everton; however, that transfer stalled, with Richarlison expressing reluctance to move to Everton and now likely to remain at Spurs.

In a related move, Manchester City appear set to allow midfielder Jack Grealish to return to Everton, potentially on a permanent basis, as part of their squad reshaping during the final stages of the transfer window.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have initiated talks with Chelsea over the transfer of Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández. The player has expressed a strong desire to join City, though Chelsea remain firm on an initial asking price of around £120 million and could demand more given the late stage of negotiations. City had opted to miss Chelsea’s August 14 deadline to complete the deal, anticipating the fee would rise, and are now seeking a potential compromise with Chelsea ahead of the closing of the window.

Chelsea are preparing for a busy end to the transfer period, having also pursued replacements for Fernández. Roma’s Manu Koné and Monaco’s Lamine Camara are among the midfielders Chelsea are monitoring, while Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White remains a target despite the club’s reluctance to sell. Additionally, Chelsea are advancing plans to loan out goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to Como.

Tottenham, having lost out on Ndiaye, have moved to strengthen their squad with a loan deal for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk, recently cleared to return to competitive football following a doping ban. The Ukrainian forward’s move reunites him with Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi, under whom he previously played at Shakhtar Donetsk. Tottenham have also secured a permanent deal for Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo, adding further reinforcements ahead of the season’s start.

With the transfer window set to close imminently, clubs are finalizing their squads amid significant activity across the Premier League. Manchester City's acquisition of Ndiaye and ongoing negotiations for Fernández underline their intent to maintain a competitive edge domestically and in Europe.