How Assane Diao transfer twist gives Everton fresh hope after initial bid rejection

Everton may still be interested in signing Como winger Assane Diao this summer after their opening bid was rejected.

The Toffees have been active in the early stages of the window, adding to their midfield and forward options.

David Moyes and Co. won't stop there, especially now that the club feel there are no excuses going forward to miss out on qualifying for Europe this upcoming season.

Though it's clear that the Blues have a vision for their left-hand side of attack, with half of their goals complete after the arrival of Tyrique George, the right flank remains uncertain.

Iliman Ndiaye is being linked with a move away from the club after rejecting multiple contract offers, with a current disagreement being over a release clause.

That said, Everton have already looked ahead of Ndiaye's possible exit with Diao on their radar.

How Everton given new hope after Assane Diao bid rejection

Everton had a £38.8million bid rejected by Como for Diao, as it was said that the Serie A side didn't want to sell for less than £60m.

Cesc Fabregas is a huge fan of the Senegal international, who had some issues last season due to injury.

It's not known if the Toffees made the offer in anticipation of Ndiaye's possible exit or if they were trying to get an upgrade on Tyler Dibling, who could leave this summer.

Either way, Italian journalist Matteo Moretto has been speaking about the winger's future on the Fabrizio Romano in Italiano YouTube channel, providing the latest update.

Moretto said: "An exclusive update that I would like to share: Diao, who is owned by Como, the latest news is that Galatasaray has officially come forward and intends to present an initial offer.

"It would include a notably high fee for the loan, specifically a loan agreement that features an option to purchase the player. Let's also see if there is an obligation or not.

"There are contacts, there are enquiries."

Given that talks are ongoing and that Galatasaray have yet to be turned away with these conditions, there's every reason Everton could look to pounce once more.

Perhaps Como have realised they will not get as much as they initially expected for the 20-year-old, and that the only way for them to raise huge funds is if he meets certain conditions for another club.

This could work perfectly in Everton's favour, as if they were willing to strike a loan-to-buy agreement, it's possible that a deal would be based on how successful Diao turned out at Hill Dickinson.

He's clearly someone that the Toffees like, so the movement could see them put themselves back in the race, with Ndiaye's future still uncertain.

How Diao stacks up against Iliman Ndiaye

The latest on Ndiaye is that several Premier League clubs remain keen on the winger, who is yet to pen new terms with the Toffees.

The disagreement in contract talks was due to a release clause that the 26-year-old and his agents wanted to include, one that could have even been triggered this summer.

Diao will know all about Ndiaye through their time together with Senegal, though they are two similar players.

In the game that Diao was available for Como in the Serie A last season, he racked up the same amount of expected goals per 90 as Ndiaye (0.22) and had a similar 2.24 successful dribbles per match as the Everton star (2.36).

The main difference between the two is the pace, and though Diao has that extra spring in his feet, he's still raw and unpolished in front of goal.