Everton have made Iliman Ndiaye their second new signing of the summer after completing a deal with Marseille for the Senegal international.
He follows Tim Iroegbunam through the door by signing a five-year contract with the Blues which ties him to the Club until 2029.
The fee is officially undisclosed but is widely reported to be in the region of £15.6m (~€17m) plus add-ons which represents a break-even sale for the French club who bought Ndiaye off Sheffield United a year ago.
Ndiaye had been a target of the Blues’ Director of Football, Kevin Thelwell at the time but he did not have the funds to compete with Marseille at a time when the only deals Everton could do were with minimal cash up front.
That remains the case this summer but with Marseille content to accept staggered payments, the first of which is reportedly not due until next month when the 2024-25 financial year begins, it enabled Thelwell to finally get his man.