Bayern Munich join Celtic and Nottingham Forest in Leicester transfer race
Wilfred Ndidi has been mentioned as a potential target for the Bundesliga champions
Enzo Maresca has made an immediate impression on Foxes supporters who have seen the squad undergo quite the transition over the summer after being relegated with a squad scattered with established high-end Premier League players and internationals.
So far, the players that have departed the King Power Stadium this summer for fees in the form of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and George Hirst.
Nigerian international on Bayern Munich shortlist
Another key man who hasn’t been short of interest following the club’s relegation is midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
The Nigerian has been with Leicester since the January window of 2017, signing from Belgian Pro League outfit KRC Genk under the management of Foxes’ iconic manager Claudio Ranieri.
Since then, Ndidi has been a regular throughout his six years in the East Midlands, featuring 240 times and scoring on 12 occasions in all competitions.
So far this summer, the 26-year-old has been linked with moves to Nottingham Forest, a potential reunion with old Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, and most recently a potential move to Turkey as links with Fenerbache have surfaced.
However, reports on Thursday morning from German news outlet Kicker via FußballTransfers state that Ndidi is on the radar of Bayern Munich as Thomas Tuchel searches for a new defensive midfielder.
Is there concrete interest from Bayern Munich?
The report suggests that so far, Ndidi is one of a number of options Tuchel is monitoring, as Bayern begin the defence of their Bundesliga title this weekend.
Other names include PSV midfielder Ibrahim Sangare and Benfica’s Florentino Luis, so it remains to be seen whether the Bavarian giants will show concrete interest in acquiring Ndidi’s signature at this stage.
Back in 2020, when Leicester were enjoying a spell of breaking into the top six for two years, former Super Eagles international Nduka Ugbate urged Ndidi to consider a move to a top Premier League or European club. Will we see this come to fruition three years later?
“Ndidi is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world but he has a contract with Leicester.
““I will prefer he moves if a very good club comes with a good offer, clubs like Inter Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Should the biggest team in the world come for him, I would want him to go there and play.” Ugbate said at the time.
Where does this leave Leicester City?
The midfielder’s future has been up in the air ever since relegation was confirmed on May 28th, so new speculation won’t come as a major shock to the player, Maresca and Leicester supporters.
Despite the uncertainty, the Italian has picked Ndidi in the starting eleven for all three of his competitive matches so far, as the Nigerian continues to aid the club’s promotion bid in the season’s infancy and has impressed his new head coach in doing so.
He scored a goal tonight. He scored in a friendly game. He arrived in the box against Coventry. He’s one of the guys that is working well since day one.” Maresca said after Leicester’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Burton.
With less than a year on his contract, it was reported that Leicester value the midfielder at £20m, which still represents a profit on the £17m fee they paid Genk six years ago. This could make a deal with Bayern feasible due to such a low valuation for a player of his quality.
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