Manchester City are in advanced talks with Everton over the signing of winger Iliman Ndiaye, moving quickly on an alternative after Liverpool rejected their £80 million bid for Cody Gakpo earlier on Monday.

Discussions between City and Everton have gained momentum, aided in part by existing contact between the two clubs over Jack Grealish. Tottenham had previously agreed a £60 million fee with Everton for Ndiaye, but those negotiations have stalled.

Why the deal slowed down

Richarlison's hesitation over committing to a move to Everton has been the key factor holding up the Ndiaye talks, which had been in progress since Sunday. That uncertainty opened the door for City to accelerate their approach.

With Tottenham effectively stepping aside on Ndiaye, the north London club have shifted focus and opened talks with Chelsea over a loan move for Mykhailo Mudryk.

City's winger problem

The urgency of City's pursuit reflects a genuine squad need. Earlier this month, Manchester City allowed both Savio and Omar Marmoush to join Tottenham, leaving manager Enzo Maresca short of options on the flank.

The depth of the problem was on display during Friday's win over Crystal Palace, when City failed to name a specialist winger on their bench and fielded Phil Foden — whom Maresca has acknowledged is not a natural winger — in a wide role at Selhurst Park.

Beyond a wide forward, City are also pursuing a central midfielder and opened talks with Chelsea over Enzo Fernandez on Monday.

Liverpool reject City's Gakpo bid

Liverpool turned down City's £80 million offer for Cody Gakpo, with Sky Sports News reporting that the club are wary of the difficulty in finding a replacement for the Dutch forward before the window closes.

Liverpool meanwhile strengthened their own attack, completing the signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday, with Victor Munoz having already arrived from Osasuna earlier in the summer.

Tottenham had also targeted Gakpo during this window before ultimately landing Savio and Marmoush.