Barcelona to make shock move for Championship star as his contract run downs

Barcelona are set to make a shock move for one of the best players currently playing in the Championship, reports say.

The Blaugrana have been prolific in snapping up free agents, bringing in the likes of Andreas Christensen, Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez without paying a transfer fee.

And Barca apparently have their eyes on another, with Sport claiming they are targeting Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

Ndidi has been with the Foxes for just short of six years now, signing from Genk in a £17 million deal in the January transfer window.

He's gone on to make 250 appearances for Leicester and stayed put when they were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Ndidi has played 10 times for table-topping Leicester but Barca are said to be keeping tabs on the Nigeria international.

His contract is due to expire in the summer, meaning he could be available for nothing in what would be a huge coup.

Image: Getty

Barcelona are in the hunt for a new sitting midfielder, with former Southampton man Oriol Romeu currently enjoying a run in the team following Frenkie de Jong's injury.

Ndidi fits the profile and was heavily linked with Bayern Munich in the summer, but the Bundesliga champions were put off by the price tag they were quoted for the 26-year-old.

Juventus and Atletico Madrid have also been touted as potential suitors for Ndidi.

Image: Getty

He has been playing in a slightly different role under new manager Enzo Maresca but has impressed yet again.

"He’s enjoying it, and he’s open-minded," Maresca said.

"He’s trying to learn something new and he’s making the effort to try to understand it and learn.

"He’s doing very well at arriving in the box. He’s doing not so good at staying in position and moving in the right way in the pocket.

"Most of the time he’s higher, close to the opposition central defender and sometimes he has to drop a little bit more. But as I said, it’s new for him and it’s not easy. But for sure he’s always in the box."

Topics: Barcelona, EFL Championship, Leicester City

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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