Newcastle United, Aston Villa & Tottenham ‘planning’ January ‘raid’ for highly-rated Championship star

Newcastle United are among the frontrunners to sign a former Premier League midfielder as he approaches the final few months of his contract, according to reports.

The Magpies are believed to be in the market for a midfielder to fill the void of summer signing Sandro Tonali, who is suspended until the start of next season as a result of betting offences. Eddie Howe’s side have been hit with a host of injuries which have heavily stretched the squad in recent weeks and it’s believed that Leicester City star Wilfried Ndidi is seen as a potential answer to that problem.

Ndidi has over six years of experience in the Premier League and was a member of the Leicester team which recorded back-to-back fifth place finishes under Brendan Rodgers. The 54-time Nigerian international is blessed with incredible work rate and is renowned for his exceptional ability to break up opposition attacks. This was showcased in Leicester’s FA Cup triumph in 2021 when he forged a successful midfield partnership with Youri Tielemans.

On top of his domestic achievements, Ndidi has amassed vast European experience, both with Gent and Leicester. The midfielder was part of the Leicester team which reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League (2017), the round of 32 in the Europa League (2021) and the semi-final of the Europa Conference League (2022).

Ndidi is used to the fast paced schedule of playing in multiple competitions and these qualities make him a target for a number of teams, according to TEAMTalk. The Foxes midfielder is currently in the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium and while Leicester remain keen to keep him, negotiations over a new deal have reportedly stalled in recent weeks.

Ndidi is likely to be a player of interest as he would fit FFP requirements and at 26-years of age, he still has plenty of peak years ahead of him. However, Newcastle are not the only team in the race to sign Ndidi and other teams such as Aston Villa, Brentford and Tottenham are all reportedly keeping tabs on the situation.

Ndidi has featured in 11 of his side’s Championship games and has been a key component in a Leicester team which sit comfortably at the summit in the second-tier.