Wilfred Ndidi Keeping his feet on the ground despite Man Utd and Real Madrid links

The Lagos-born holding midfielder has been a revelation since stepping into the shoes of former Foxes star N’Golo Kante. His £17m transfer fee from Belgian side Genk now looks an absolute snip with City almost certain to make a five-fold return on that figure in the short-to-medium-term.

Although a move to Old Trafford or the Bernabeu Stadium would be a life-changing transfer for the Super Eagles international, Ndidi insists he is “grateful for the opportunity” to play in the English Premier League and “enjoy [his] game at a club like Leicester”. Ndidi said that he enjoys being a part of the Leicester squad in which “no player is more important than the team”.

Ndidi’s form with the Foxes has been the subject of significant interest from the leading analysts and tipsters across British and European football, who continually search for the most in-form stars and teams to recommend for fans’ weekly accumulators.

He has been the backbone of Leicester’s resurgence under Brendan Rodgers. From a defensive perspective, the Foxes have been laid low of late with injuries. Turkish centre back Caglar Soyuncu is sidelined and Jonny Evans recently limped off with a problem.

With untried defensive partnerships, it’s no surprise to see that City have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six Premier League games. Despite this, little blame can be attached to Ndidi, who boss Brendan Rodgers recently described as “irreplaceable” to his side.

The vultures are most definitely circling around the King Power Stadium, with the clock ticking down to the opening of the January transfer window. A report from Spanish media source Fichajes states that Real Madrid could attempt to steal a march on Manchester United by concluding a deal for Ndidi early in the window.

Ndidi’s ability to break up play and provide a shield for the Leicester backline has been likened to his predecessor N’Golo Kante. Successful teams rely on selfless players like Ndidi to provide a reliable foundation for their creative flair players to shine.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is said to be accelerating his interest in Ndidi due to losing faith in Real’s long-serving holding midfielder Casemiro. The Brazilian is part of the furniture at the Bernabeu having joined Real back in 2013.

However, Fichajes revealed that Ancelotti fears the 29-year-old’s best days are behind him at an elite level. A decline in intensity has been noted by Ancelotti’s coaching staff of late, with Ndidi earmarked as the ideal replacement.

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick implored his former employers to look at signing Ndidi too, but he questioned whether the “finances are there” given the recent signings of Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jadon Sancho. Chadwick described Leicester as “a selling team”, as proven by their willingness to sanction the sales of N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez to Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.

Four years ago, Ndidi’s agent Hakeem Bello admitted that he would recommend that his client handed in a formal transfer request if Manchester United made advances for his signature.

Bello said a move to the “biggest and most successful [club] in England” would be a “no-brainer” for Ndidi. Those comments were made just a matter of months after his arrival from Genk, when he hit the ground running in the East Midlands under former Foxes boss Craig Shakespeare.

However respectful Ndidi’s comments in the media have been towards Leicester in more recent times, few players could turn their back on the lure of United or Real. The biggest issue for Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers could be their current league position.

A top-four finish looks increasingly unlikely this season and competition for the Europa League spot is equally intensifying. Ndidi's form in Europe has been hit and miss this season, with a frustrating sending off against Italian giants Napoli in September.

Nevertheless, with 16 league games played, Leicester find themselves just three points ahead of 14th-placed Everton. If European football continues to look far-fetched for City and Ndidi in 2022/23, the Nigerian may deem it time to fly the nest.

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