“Will likely depart…” responds to carlton palmers the challenging transfer scenario at Leicester City
The analyst has offered his viewpoint and forecast for what will occur in the key upcoming months.
Due to their relegation, Leicester City saw substantial departures during the summer transfer window, with many well-known players moving for other clubs.
A player in great demand, Wilfred Ndidi, is still with the team despite interest from elite European clubs like Barcelona. His future remains unknown, though, as his contract is soon to expire.
Unless they can persuade Ndidi to sign a new deal, Leicester City may have to sell him in the January transfer window to prevent losing him for nothing in the summer. Although unpleasant, the choice must be made in order to safeguard their financial resources.
Really, it was always going to be. Despite having skilled and seasoned players like James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Youri Tielemans, and Timothy Castagne among many others, the Foxes ended their wild nine-year tenure in the top division in disastrous circumstances by being unexpectedly relegated.
When those players all left for greener pastures, it hardly caused a stir.
On the other hand, it came as a bit of a surprise when some players stayed with the team after the transfer window closed. Whether due to injuries or not, seeing Ricardo Pereira play in the Championship is a strange sight, and you wouldn’t have bet on Patson Daka or Kelechi Iheanacho staying put either.
Having stated that, Wilfred Ndidi’s case is the one that stands out the most.
Despite the fact that he and a large portion of the Foxes team did much worsen after relegation, he has never been short of admirers overseas, and this was still true throughout the off-season despite the changes in circumstances.
Enzo Maresca will undoubtedly be happy that Ndidi is a member of his team for the time being, but he cannot be oblivious to the fact that Leicester will soon reach a turning point in his relationship with the organisation that may necessitate a change in posture.
Given that the holding midfielder is currently in the final year of his current contract, Leicester cannot afford to be aggressive during the upcoming contractual discussions.
And commentator Carlton Palmer has outlined what he thinks will happen in the upcoming months, with Barcelona becoming the latest major club to be linked with interest in signing him.
With Barcelona interested in Wilfred Ndidi, what has Carlton Palmer said about him?
Palmer, in an exclusive interview with Football League World, said: “Barcelona is keeping an eye on Nigerian international Wilfred Ndidi, as are a number of other elite European clubs, including Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid.
It was anticipated that the 26-year-old would be sold if Leicester was down to the Championship, but their asking price was too high.
Ndidi has started every single one of Leicester’s eight Championship games so far this year, and the team is now atop the division.
“Ndidi’s contract is up this year, which is Leicester’s concern.
“I’m sure they would offer him a contract to protect themselves still just being 26. They don’t know which league they’re going to be in so it’s difficult for them.
But I believe it will be very challenging to convince him to sign a new contract since at Christmas, he might be joining a team to play Champions League football.
In order to prevent Leicester from losing him for free in the summer transfer window, he will likely lose in the January transfer window, in my opinion.
Should Wilfred Ndidi be sold by Leicester City?
Even while it isn’t ideal, it is the only practical choice if he won’t update his terms.
Depending on how you look at it, it’s a difficult decision and a catch-22 position because Leicester could theoretically retain Ndidi for the entire season, but doing so would come at a cost, and it highly depends on whether they are promoted or not.
Ndidi, however, is a player who is a substantial financial asset and would promise to return a solid outlay that could even be used to bolster the Foxes’ promotion bid more, so it would be an excessive risk.
Naturally, Maresca and the other East Midlands top brass should be working feverishly to persuade him to sign a new contract first, but if that isn’t possible then it’s only reasonable that they bite the bullet and fulfil Ndidi his wishes after the new year.
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