Goodbye to King Power Stadium?

In spite of having started Leicester City’s first match in the English Championship last Sunday and scoring in the Foxes EFL Cup win midweek, Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi’s stay in England is just a matter of time. Though his attempt to join former manager, Brendan Rodgers could not materialise due to Glasgow Rangers’ inability to meet up Leicester City’s asking price, Turkey seems the next destination as Fernabache and Galatasaray are scrambling for the signature of the former Genk man

Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi was once regarded as a colossus of the Premier League, with so much said about his prowess that Manchester United were in the hunt for him. However, things have fallen apart, and he is no longer the player we know as the 26-year-old defensive midfielder has struggled for form in recent seasons, with injury the bane of his Leicester career.

With the midfield enforcer not happy with life in the English Championship where Leicester now found themselves having been relegated last season, Ndidi might just be seeking succor in Turkey as Fenerbahçe are ready to rival Galatasaray for his signature.

According to Turkish daily newspaper Yeni afak, the Yellow Canaries are in talks with the Leicester City star on the possibility of joining the club.

They have also reportedly submitted an eight million euros plus bonuses bid to Leicester City for his services.

The report also have it  that Ndidi has contacted compatriots, Joseph Yobo and Emmanuel Emenike, who represented Fenerbahçe during their playing days, on the prospect of joining the club.

The Turkish outfit want to bolster their midfield with the addition of the Nigerian and Bologna’s Nicolás Domínguez.

The 26-year-old will be joining his international teammate Bright Osayi-Samuel at the Turkish club if the deal goes through.

Ndidi has a year left on his contract with Leicester City and is open to leaving the King Power Stadium for new pastures following the relegation of the Foxes from the Premier League.

The midfield enforcer has also been linked with Galatasaray who see him as an alternative to Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele, as well as an unnamed team in Saudi Arabia.

Ndidi was in action for Leicester City in their 2-1 victory over Coventry City as the former Premier League champions began life in the Championship at the King Power Stadium last Sunday and was on target in Foxes 2-0 win against Burton Albion in the EFL Cup in their next match on Wednesday.

However, new Foxes manager, Enzo Maresca, says the club is open to selling players desperate to leave the King Power Stadium.

Maresca said, “It is difficult, when the market is open, anything can happen. “At the moment, seven players had their contracts expired, James Maddison left, and some more players can leave. But at the same time, players can leave, so we can bring in more players.

“The market is open, anything can happen. We can bring in players and we can sell them too. The market is long. There are many weeks so we’ll see.”

Ndidi was linked with exit from the club this summer, after Leicester City were relegated to the Championship, seven years after they lifted the Premier League.

The former Genk midfielder joined Leicester City in 2017 for £17 million following the departure of Ngolo Kante to Chelsea. Such humongous boots to fill, yet he was unperturbed and did the business for the Foxes. Ndidi might not have reached the heights of the French midfielder Kante in the colours of the Foxes, but he has contributed decently to the achievements made by Leicester City.

According to Transfermarkt, a year ago, Ndidi was the most valuable Nigerian player with €60 million price tag, but his market valuation has since experienced a sharp drop.

The report said Ndidi who was valued at €60m in June 15, 2022, has lost €35m in market value as he is now worth only €20m, about 65 per cent loss in value over a year. The Leicester midfielder suffered a drop in his transfer market value on four consecutive occasions in September and November 2022 as well as March and June 2023.

His value dropped from €60m to €50m in September, €50m to €40m in November, €40m to €32m in March before the latest Transfer Market update saw him drop down to €20m.

He was named the best tackler in his debut season (2017/18) campaign with 138 tackles and in the process was named as Leicester City’s Young Player of the Year for the season at 21. the importance of the former KAA Genk star could not be overemphasised and almost had no equal in the English top-flight. He was always involved in breaking play of the opponents and winning the ball back in dangerous areas of the field for his team.

In the 2019/20 season, he shared the best tackler prize with Manchester United’s right-back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He made 129 successful tackles alongside Wan-Bissaka, and he nearly helped Leicester book a place a Champions League qualification spot that term.

He was indeed proffered as the solution to Man United’s defensive midfield crisis at the time and was also tipped to join Real Madrid, as a substitute to Casemiro.

Meanwhile, with Chelsea’s Cesare Casadei now on a season-long loan to Leicester Ndidi may be struggling for a place with the Italian. Ordinarily, the arrival of a 20-year-old rookie should not be a source of worry for a talented veteran like Ndidi but the times are no longer normal, as the 26-year-old defensive midfielder has struggled for form in recent seasons, with injury the bane of his Leicester career. The arrival of Casadei could pose some nutty problems for Ndidi as Casadei is a versatile midfielder who can play as an attacking midfielder and also in the holding role. The Italian, who captained the Italy Under-20 team to a runners-up position at the World Cup, is also a two-footed player – a quality the Foxes manager would appreciate. While Casadei is good depth for the Foxes and has Championship experience, Ndidi has a battle on his hands and would need to buckle up if he stays.

The arrival of Casadei could also mean that Leicester City intends to sell Ndidi, as his €91,000 salary could pose problems for the Foxes. It would not be surprising to see Ndidi leave the King Power Stadium, as Fernerbache and Galatasaray are scrambling for his signature.