Barcelona now want a truly “huge” player, just weeks after Liverpool decided not to sign him
Barcelona want to sign Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi on a free transfer. Despite a lot of interest in him this summer, Ndidi ended up staying at Leicester, where he currently plays in the Championship. He was reportedly still being watched by a side at the end of August, and it was actually Liverpool. Looking for the right player to complete their midfield reshuffle, the Reds reportedly considered and ultimately rejected an approach from the Nigerian.
However, according to Española Sport, Liverpool is not the last big party that has Ndidi in mind. They claim Barcelona are monitoring the 26-year-old, who reportedly tried to sign him several years ago. At the time, Leicester were reportedly looking for around £61m to sell Ndidi, but he will be free to use that when his contract expires next summer.
As they find themselves in a precarious financial situation, Barca are said to be turning their attention to the market for Bosman. This is said to make Ndidi an attractive choice. Apart from Barcelona and Liverpool, Bayern Munich are also rumored to have tried to sign the Leicester man recently. However, it was claimed that the German side also refused the Foxes’ asking price. Since that will no longer be an issue in 2024, Ndidi is said to be one of the so-called most wanted players in next year’s market. Barca join Ndidi race
No doubt the pair rolled their eyes when stories of Liverpool’s potential interest in Ndidi emerged in August.
However, it must be remembered that the Nigerian international was highly sought after only a short time ago. Still only 26, Ndidi was one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League between 2017 and 2020. His prominence in Leicester’s midfield was one of the reasons why the Foxes didn’t miss the mercurial N’Golo Kante as much as they could have. Liverpool themselves should know this all too well. They have been on the receiving end of Ndidi’s dominant performances on more than one occasion.
In February 2021, the Reds lost 3–1 at the King Power Stadium. On that day, then manager Brendan Rodgers described his midfielder’s performance as “colossal” [i]. These screens have been the standard for Ndidi for some really promising years. A bit adrift in the last two seasons, the former Genk man seems to be blossoming again in the Championship. Liverpool can be reminded how good they can be at Anfield today. You might want to keep an eye on it.