Nottingham Forest want ‘incredible’ £20m-rated midfielder who’s just been relegated

Nottingham Forest are in the market for a defensive midfielder and a new target appears to be Leicester City star, Wilfred Ndidi. The Reds are desperate for a new number six and now want to sign the relegated midfielder.

The Foxes were unbelievably relegated from the Premier League last season. Just seven years on from winning the top-flight title, they must now battle their way back from the Championship.

According to John Percy at The Telegraph, Ndidi is wanted by Forest. Steve Cooper wants a new defensive midfielder as a top priority and the Nigerian is the latest player to be linked.

The 26-year-old has been at the King Power Stadium since 2017 when he signed from Genk. He’s become a mainstay at the club, making 237 appearances.

Ndidi is available for transfer this summer. He will be out of contract during the summer of 2024, yet the Foxes still want to recoup £20 million for his services.

Brendan Rodgers departed Leicester last season. He was a huge fan of the 51-cap Nigerian international and hailed him as ‘incredible’ back in 2019.

Forest utilised Danilo, Orel Mangala and Ryan Yates during their strong run of form at the back end of the 2022/23 campaign. However, they’re all quite similar.

Cooper wants a different option in there and Ndidi is now another name that appears to be on his shortlist.

Forest in the market to sign Ndidi from Leicester

This would be an interesting addition, not least because although Forest don’t really care about Leicester, the Foxes see the Reds as their main rivals.

Ndidi made 30 appearances for Leicester last season and picked up five yellow cards across the campaign. He played in both of the games against Forest.

The Reds are clearly looking for a defensive midfielder this summer. They would ideally like one before the campaign gets underway and it will be interesting to see if Ndidi is the man they end up with.

Rumour rating: 8/10 – There is a lot to like about this deal. Ndidi is a proven Premier League player and at 26, he’s got years left ahead of him.

At £20 million, the fee would perhaps be deemed excessive given that he’s got a single year to run on his year but in the top-flight, that fee isn’t exactly a lot.

It’s claimed that Ndidi would likely want a substantial salary and that might prove a stumbling block for the Reds.

However, if a deal can be struck then it’s certainly a signing that would be most welcomed on Trentside.