Idrissa Gueye's expected free transfer to Al Diriyah has gone under the radar, but could prove pivotal to one of the biggest deals of the summer in the kingdom. The 36-year-old Senegal and Everton favourite ended his second spell at the Merseyside club last Friday and now looks set to join the PIF-backed outfit and play for former Wolves manager Bruno Lage in the 2026–27 season. Al Diriyah SC is considered part of the wider Diriyah giga-project and therefore has received significant funding. The fact they've pushed ahead of Asian champions Al Ahli in the race to land Gueye on a lucrative one-year deal says a lot about their ambitions. However, Gueye's preference for a move to the Riyadh area as opposed to the Jeddah stronghold of Al Ahli might have been influenced by more than just footballing or contractual concerns. It has since emerged that capital side Al Hilal, the kingdom's biggest club, are showing strong interest in Gueye's former Everton teammate Iliman Ndiaye, a player he has mentored at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and with whom he plays alongside at international level for Senegal. The two players and their families are said to be very close. Reports suggest that Ndiaye is open to moving to Hilal, and the chance to reunite with Gueye in the kingdom must be reassuring as he mulls over what would be a major move in his career. Al Hilal finished last season unbeaten, but as runners-up to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, their bitter local rivals. The simple fact is they drew too many games, so while manager Simone Inzaghi has been pushing for the club to sign his former Inter Milan defender, Alessandro Bastoni, it's not surprising that they seem to be prioritising the acquisition of creative players. Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz is said to be a top target but the German champions are unlikely to sanction a transfer. Given that, it is logical that Premier League players should also feature highly on the four-time Asian champions' shortlist. Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to take up a similar role at Al Hilal in the near future, while his former Bournemouth colleague Simon Francis is already in Riyadh shaping the club's transfer business. Al Hilal are in the process of overhauling their attacking options, with Brazilian Marcos Leonardo offloaded to Ajax for a fee of around £15m and ex-Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez edging towards a move. As the 2026–27 season approaches, Everton finds itself 36 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League table, with a recent form of LLDDL. The Toffees' next fixture is against Sunderland, which they will face away on 20th February 2027. With Iliman Ndiaye potentially on the move, Everton may need to consider strengthening its attacking options if it wants to compete with the likes of Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.