The latest coming out from the transfer news and rumours mill is that Wilfred Ndidi is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, particularly from Al-Shabab FC. Ndidi and Leicester City were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season. The Foxes were unlucky in their quest to stay up as Alex Iwobi’s Everton won their game to snatch the ticket away from their grasp.
Now, they are planning a squad rebuild for the new season, which starts with offloading key assets to offset losses. Ndidi is one of their players who can fetch a good price. The Super Eagles star is now in line to join Cristiano Ronaldo, who also plays in the Middle East, for Al-Nassr.
Al-Shabab in talks with Ndidi over summer move
26-year-old Wilfred Ndidi, up until his injury in 2020, was the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League since he signed for Leicester City in 2017 from KRC Genk for €17 million. He led the stats in interceptions, tackles, ball recoveries and blocks among defensive midfielders in the league, making him indispensable to the Foxes.
His performances earned him links to Manchester United and Real Madrid, but none of those moves came to fruition thanks to his injury in 2020 which slowed down his momentum.
His absence for long spells in the heart of Leicester’s midfield last season was greatly felt, as they were unable to muster any fight in the middle of the park. As one of their most prized assets, the Super Eagles midfielder is now about to save them yet again. This time, he will do it by leaving them and earning them big money from a potential move to Asia.
حسبما علمت، الشباب أجرى محادثاته الأولى مع اللاعب ويلفريد نديدي لضمه خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية ✅💯 pic.twitter.com/cvsbRV9B5j
— Ahmed Ragab (@ARagab) June 19, 2023
Ndidi is currently contracted to the Foxes until 2024 which means that they can sell him for a good amount. The Foxes are reportedly expecting a bid in the range of £40 million for the AFCON 2023 squad hopeful, who is fresh off international duty with the Nigeria national football team. Further reports also indicate that the player’s time is not done in Europe as a number of top sides are considering his signing. It remains to be seen what the former Genk man will choose.
Celtic interested in Ndidi
One of those clubs is Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, who are now managed by Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman was the manager of Leicester City until April 2023, a few games to the end of the 2022/23 Premier League season. During his time at the club, Ndidi was one of his most used players and now, the 50-year-old tactician is looking to reunite with the Super Eagles midfielder.
Rodgers, who rejoined Celtic after Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham Hotspur, has earmarked Ndidi as his top transfer target according to Come on Leicester, a fan platform covering the Foxes and all their activities. They cite British publication Daily Mail as the source of their information.
🗞 Brendan Rodgers is interested in bringing WIlfred Ndidi with him to Celtic. [Daily Mail] pic.twitter.com/gNRirXhyPC
— ComeOnLeicester.com (@Come0nLeicester) June 19, 2023
The Foxes value Ndidi at £32 million and only Al-Shabab can easily meet that valuation among the clubs who are reportedly interested in the Nigeria Super Eagles midfielder.
The club may be forced to sell to Celtic or any other club, however, as Ndidi has only one year left on his contract and he will be an expensive player to maintain while they play in the EFL Championship.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 months ago
