£65m Man City signing hints at return to old club days after 114 charges verdict

· Mirror

A player who signed for Manchester City for £65million in the summer has hinted that he would be keen on a move back to his former club

Manchester City summer signing Iliman Ndiaye has hinted that he would been keen on returning to former club Marseille in the future and admitted: "I don't think the story is over."

Ndiaye, 26, joined City in a £65million deal from Everton in the summer and has made an impressive start to life at the Etihad Stadium. Although the Senegal international hasn't produced a single goal or an assist in his first four appearances, he has helped City continue their winning start and was a standout performer when he came on against Manchester United last month.

But, despite joining City less than five weeks ago, Ndiaye has now revealed that he would like to return to Marseille in the future. The French-born attacking midfielder spent one season at the Stade Velodrome, after joining from Sheffield United for £20m in 2023, before leaving to sign for Everton 12 months later. He scored just four times and provided five assists in 46 games for the Ligue 1 side.

When asked about Marseille fans chanting for him to return to the club, Ndiaye said:

> "The shouts from Marseille supporters asking me to come back? It is nice to hear. I don't think that the story is finished, but we will see. I'm just saying, I never know where it'll lead me, but we'll see anyway. > > "I only have positive memories of my time at OM [Marseille], and it was a source of pride for me. I don't miss a single match. It's my club, and it always will be."

Ndiaye is thought to have supported Marseille since he was a child and jumped at the chance to sign for them when he left Sheffield United three years ago. Although it didn't work out during his short time in southern France, it appears he wouldn't say no to giving it another shot.

Meanwhile, Ndiaye's comments come just days after the Premier League announced that City have been found guilty of all charges concerning breaches of its financial regulations spanning from 2009/10 to 2017/18. These included artificially inflating revenue by over £900million through "sham" sponsorship agreements.

City, however, have denied any wrongdoing and appealed the decision on Thursday. The club believe they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and say they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to support their case.

> "Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter," City said in a statement on Friday. > > "The Club's firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. > > "We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete."

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