Everton's Premier League campaign has arrived. It's time to get excited. Though David Moyes' side have work to do before the end of the transfer window, pre-season preparations have been promising, and Everton are determined to close the distance on those at the top of the table.

Scale back to March, 2026. Chelsea had just been dispatched at the Hill Dickinson. Three goals for Everton, clean sheet. It put the Toffees within touching distance of fifth-place Liverpool, occupying the edge of Champions League territory.

It didn't happen, and while Moyes has welcomed a few new faces to Merseyside this summer, more depth is needed. Everton are aware of this. Moyes spoke ahead of his side's opener against Crystal Palace on Saturday of his desire to sign a much-needed right-back.

Moreover, the Blues boss is intent on keeping onto his superstars, and who bigger and better than the in-demand Iliman Ndiaye?

Why Iliman Ndiaye should remain at Everton

A lot can change across the final days of the summer transfer window, but Everton persuasion will at least take comfort in the knowledge that Ndiaye has rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer, with Al-Hilal having been willing to pay £75m to bring him over.

Ndiaye, 26, is one of the most exciting players in the Premier League. For Everton, he has quickly established himself as a talisman, hailed for having "magic in his boots" by Everton writer Lyndon Lloyd.

Though Ndiaye only scored six goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League last season, he still dazzled on the ball, darting this way and that. Let's not forget that he was shoved over to the right flank, accommodating loanee Jack Grealish.

It may be that the Senegal international is tempted by reported interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, but it seems unlikely that either outfit are prioritising a move for Ndiaye at this stage of the summer transfer window.

Everton will hope that Grealish will return to Merseyside for another year. They will cross their fingers and pray that Ndiaye is not swept up by a rival in the coming days.

They will also push to sign a new winger, someone who could rival Ndiaye and perhaps even surpass their influence on the right.

Everton in talks to sign Ndiaye upgrade

Everton have a strong core, but they need more flavour and flair in attack, and with Beto and Thierno Barry both seemingly set to stay at No. 9, another Ndiaye-esque wideman wouldn't go amiss.

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are ready to engage in a transfer tussle with Liverpool to sign Dario Osorio from FC Midtjylland. The Chile winger is understood to have been among the most heavily-scouted young forwards in Europe this summer.

Osorio has played plenty of football over the past few years with his Danish side, enjoying a central role in two Europa League campaigns and dazzling with his pace and the sheer intensity of his running. He is a relentless winger, someone who could actually replace and maybe even upgrade on Ndiaye on Everton's right wing.

He might not be the finished article, but Osorio is certainly cut from the same cloth as the Senegalese, four years his junior, and if he continues to make tweaks over the coming years, could emerge as a bona fide superstar in the Premier League.

It's important to remember that Osorio is still so young. He is going from strength to strength, and certainly has the underlying data to slot into an Ndiaye-shaped hole on Merseyside next season.

Perhaps he could work in tandem with Ndiaye over the coming campaign, before eventually taking his mantle as the focal point of Moyes' frontline.

His willingness to get stuck in and defend with tenacity makes him one of the rarest wideman profiles out there. There's certainly something of a semblance to Ndiaye's own approach, and Osorio could soon establish himself as the perfect long-term successor.

With Liverpool also considering a move for the Chilean winger, who has even been described by former Universidad de Chile team-mate Johnny Herrera as a winger who "plays like Gareth Bale", Everton would argue that they can offer him a talismanic role from the get-go.

On the basis of the evidence, his form for his Danish club and his stylistic similarities to Ndiaye, Osorio could be the perfect signing to propel Everton forward this year and beyond.