When it comes to summer signings, defensive midfielder looks to be an increasingly important priority for Manchester United.
Of the possible options, Declan Rice looks insanely overpriced at £90 million.
Wilfred Ndidi appears to be a superior player and better value in the £60-70 million price range, and crucially, United may have something to tempt him with.
Another Champions League collapse
Once again, Leicester have occupied the Champions League places nearly all season, only to drop to fifth place on the final day.
Ndidi now faces a second successive season in the Europa League, and United may have a chance of tempting him away from a club where he otherwise appears happy.
If Leicester had qualified for the Champions League, you would say United had no chance of signing the Nigerian. Now, with Brendan Rodgers’ side falling short once again, United may have a shot.
Ndidi’s season and situation
Ndidi is under contract at Leicester until 2024. This past season the 24-year-old played 36 games in all competitions, scoring once and providing four assists.
Despite playing in only 24 league games, Ndidi finished third statistically in the ‘tackles won’ category with 73. Only Yves Bissouma and Pierre Hojbjerg managed more.
This saw him average a Premier League leading 3.7 tackles per game, and with 2.3 interceptions per game, he was the top performing midfielder, with Ngolo Kante next on 2 interceptions per game.
Signing Ndidi could enable United to play both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in more attacking roles, rather than rely on a combination of Fred and Scott McTominay to do the defensive work.
Reinforcements at Leicester imminent
What makes a possible deal for Ndidi more intriguing is Leicester’s recent move to sign Boubakary Soumare.
The Telegraph report a deal for Soumare is imminent, with a fee of just £15 million an outstanding piece of business for the Lille midfielder.
Soumare could play alongside Ndidi and form a midfield which is even tougher to break down than at present, with Youri Tielemans in there too.
But his imminent arrival also gives Leicester the flexiblity to cash in on Ndidi if United come calling with a tempting offer.
Combine this with Leicester missing out on Champions League football again, and United have a shot, which it didn’t necessarily feel like a fortnight or so ago.
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