# The Ndiaye Domino: How a Collapsed Gakpo Deal Triggered a Premier League Transfer Chain Reaction

**By Tomás Ferreira**  \nPublished September 1, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> A rejected £80m bid for Cody Gakpo and a failed Richarlison move to Everton have sent shockwaves through the Premier League, as Manchester City secure Iliman Ndiaye.

The transfer window operates on a knife-edge, where a single rejection can trigger a cascade of movement that reshapes the tactical landscape of an entire league. As the 11pm deadline looms, the most significant domino to fall has been Manchester City’s sudden pivot to Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye. What began as an £80m pursuit of Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo has evolved into a £65m deal for the 26-year-old Senegal international, leaving several Premier League giants scrambling to repair their fractured plans.

## The Gakpo Pivot and the £65m Solution

Manchester City’s pursuit of Ndiaye was born of necessity rather than primary intent. The club had opened negotiations with Liverpool for Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, but that pursuit hit a wall on Monday when the Reds rejected an £80m bid. While Liverpool have already bolstered their attack with the £123m signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, they remained hesitant to sanction Gakpo’s departure without a guaranteed replacement, noting interest in Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr.

With the Gakpo deal deemed non-viable, City turned their attention to Ndiaye. The agreement with Everton is structured as a guaranteed £60m payment with a further £5m in add-ons. Despite Everton making multiple contract offers to the winger to keep him at Goodison Park, the player's preference was clear: a move to the Etihad. This shift also provides a tactical answer to a growing concern for manager Enzo Maresca. Following a recent victory over Crystal Palace, it was noted that City did not name a specialist winger on their bench, instead utilizing Phil Foden out wide—a position Maresca himself admitted is not a natural winger role.

## The Richarlison Friction and the Tottenham Collapse

While City's move progressed, Tottenham Hotspur found themselves caught in the crossfire of a failed exchange. On Friday night, Spurs had reached an agreement with Everton for Ndiaye, which was intended to be a reciprocal deal involving Richarlison moving to the Merseyside club in a separate transfer.

However, the deal disintegrated when Richarlison failed to agree to personal terms with Everton, despite a £35m offer from the Toffees. The Brazilian forward’s frustration was laid bare in an emotional Instagram statement on Monday, where he expressed a desire for greater agency in his career.

> “After everything I've been through in the last few years, I've decided that never again will anyone decide my future for me,” Richarlison stated. “If they reach an agreement between Spurs and Everton, I will return to my beloved club... Despite all this turmoil, I am under contract at Spurs and will remain at the club's disposal.”

The collapse has forced Tottenham to pivot immediately, with the North London club now in talks to secure Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk on a season-long loan. This follows interest from Leeds United, though Mudryk is understood to prefer remaining in the Premier League over a potential loan move to Strasbourg.

## The Everton Rebuild and Tactical Shifts

As Ndiaye departs, Everton are not merely losing a talisman; they are actively restructuring. The club is currently finalizing a deal to bring Jack Grealish from Manchester City to Goodison Park, a move that would signal a significant change in profile for their attacking unit. Meanwhile, the transfer chaos extends to other corners of the league, with Arsenal assessing attackers in case their pursuit of Julian Alvarez fails, and Newcastle preparing for the arrival of Matias Fernandez-Pardo following his £51m move from Lille.

PlayerFromToStatus/FeeIliman NdiayeEvertonManchester City£60m + £5m add-onsJack GrealishManchester CityEvertonFinalizing dealBradley BarcolaPSGLiverpoolUp to £123mMatias Fernandez-PardoLilleNewcastle£51m

## Evidence-Led Forecast

**Likely Tactical Pattern:** The final 24 hours of this window will likely see a surge in "panic" loan moves rather than permanent transfers. As clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal realize their primary targets (Ndiaye and Alvarez, respectively) are slipping away, the emphasis will shift toward securing depth through temporary arrangements to avoid high capital expenditure.

**Decisive Matchup:** The ability of Manchester City to secure a central midfielder alongside Ndiaye. City have already made an official approach to Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez; if they land both a winger and a midfielder, they will have fundamentally altered their squad balance for the Maresca era.

**Strongest Counter-Case:** If Liverpool manages to secure a winger for Gakpo before Tuesday's deadline, they may reconsider the Gakpo sale entirely, potentially stalling the transfer market's momentum and leaving City without their secondary target.

**What Would Change the Read:** A successful breakthrough in the Julian Alvarez negotiations. If Alvarez chooses Arsenal over Barcelona, the current scramble for attacking reinforcements across the Premier League could de-escalate as clubs find their primary targets satisfied.

## Sources

- [dailymail.com](https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16092521/Beto-jets-Florence-15m-Everton-Juve-push-Man-Uniteds-Joshua-Zirkzee-WINDOW-WATCH.html) — original
- [sports.yahoo.com](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/man-city-agree-65m-deal-191220719.html) — original
- [bbc.co.uk](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c80453nj9gno) — original
- [skysports.com](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13579541/iliman-ndiaye-transfer-news-man-city-agree-lb65m-deal-for-everton-winger-as-tottenham-turn-attention-to-mykhailo-mudryk) — original