Everton are less than four weeks away from the start of a new season in the Premier League, and David Moyes will be acutely aware that his outfit have glaring holes that need covering.

Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George's respective loan moves have been made permanent, while Hayden Hackney has joined from Middlesbrough and adds some bona fide ball-playing quality in the middle of the park, but Everton are shorn of depth at right-back, and they need a striker too.

Complicating matters: Al Hilal's emerging interest in Iliman Ndiaye. It's early days, but the affluent Saudi side are trying to advance negotiations with player and club, and fears are rising that Everton will lose their most important attacking piece.

Why Everton will miss Ndiaye

Ndiaye has been the brightest spark at Everton over the past few years, going from strength to strength since joining from Marseille for £15m in 2024.

The former Sheffield United star has scored 17 goals across 71 games for the Toffees, but it's his dribbling and explosiveness, like a lightning flash, that makes him such a tough customer in the Premier League.

He is a rare attacking profile, and one that Everton may struggle to rediscover for some time. There's no question that the Friedkin Group would demand a significant sum for his departure - and selling to Al Hilal would be preferable to rival suitors such as Liverpool and Manchester United - but Everton will lose a large chunk of their attacking flair, should they sell Ndiaye.

After all, the Senegal star is a flashy forward with substance; hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson for his "relentless" nature, he "could be at least a regular squad player in every Premier League team".

If Everton lose this player, it will be a cruel blow to Moyes' plans. If they lose him, they must replace him, preferably with a forward of similar skills.

Everton in talks to sign their next Ndiaye

Everton might feel like they can ill-afford to lose a forward of Ndiaye's magnitude, but this is a deal that could progress, sadly, with Al Hilal boasting the financial power to bring him over to the Saudi Pro League.

At least Everton will bank a pretty penny, and if they replace Ndiaye with Bologna winger Jonathan Rowe, they might just endure.

According to Sport Media Set, Everton have been in talks with the Serie A side over a potential deal for Rowe, who only joined from Marseille in August 2025 but has used his time in Italy to establish himself as one of the brightest young wingers in Europe.

Exciting, but certainly unrefined, Rowe has the potential to be a star, and Everton believe he would be perfect for their project, approaching Bologna along with an unnamed Premier League rival.

It's the underlying data that will have piqued Moyes' curiosity. Rowe is a fierce, combative winger, and he is competent on both flanks. In that, he shares a lot with Ndiaye, and though his numbers need work, he has shown potential as a goalscoring option.

Once hailed for his "striker-like instincts" by the earlier-mentioned Mattinson, Rowe's stock might not be as high as Ndiaye's, but he undoubtedly has the right skillset to succeed the Senegalese on Merseyside.

He scored eight goals from 43 appearances for Bologna last season, but it's worth noting that all of those strikes came in 2026, the one-time Norwich City youngster finally clicking into gear.

And in any case, it's not as if Ndiaye was in free-flowing scoring form last season. In fact, when Everton signed the 26-year-old from Marseille (Rowe's former club), it was something of a rescue act, with Ndiaye having only scored three times from 30 games in Ligue 1.

Is it worth the gamble? Rowe has the physicality and pace to survive the rigours of English football, having been reared and raised as an athlete in the country.

He might not be the finished product, but the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, and his mercurial nature and penchant for the spectacular could see him step into Ndiaye's big boots at the Hill Dickinson next season.