Brendan Rodgers’ transfer verdict as Aston Villa linked to Leicester City midfielder

Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing a deal for Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard will have £50 million to spend on a defensive midfielder this summer, with Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and Ndidi top of his wish list, according to the Daily Star.

The report claims that Gerrard is determined to land one of either Bissouma or Ndidi as he looks to bolster his team in what will be his first summer transfer window in charge at Villa Park.

Ndidi signed a six-year contract with the Foxes in 2018 and Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers will be reluctant to lose the defensive midfielder.

But Rodgers revealed earlier this month that he is planning to ‘refresh the squad’ this summer.

As reported in the Daily Mail, Rodgers said: “For us, our focus is very much on the summer window. We know we need to make big changes to freshen up the squad and the planning is well under way for that.

“It’s tough in January, anyway. It was not through a lack of trying or ambition by the club.

“It’s a club that’s run financially very well, but it’s a window that was always going to be difficult for us.

“There’s no doubt we need to make changes come the summer. We’ll have been working together for over three years come then, so we will need to refresh the squad, and that’s something we will do.

“But for this window, it wasn’t possible for us to do that. I’m really happy with the players we do have, and we’ll look to work with them and improve them.”

As reported by Goal, Rodgers previously described Ndidi as ‘irreplaceable’.

Following his impressive performance in Leicester 2-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur in December 2020, the Leicester boss, said: “I’ve said before, he’s irreplaceable.

“There are lots of good players that we have that can do that job, but we don’t have anyone that can do it to the level that he does.

“His reading of the game, his agility, all the numbers after the (Spurs) game show how good he is in covering space, but it’s also the confidence he gives to the other players.”

Villa bids rejected by Brighton

Gerrard confirmed earlier this month that Villa had a bid rejected for Yves Bissouma during the January transfer window.

The 25-year-old Malian was linked with the claret and blue throughout much of the January window, and Gerrard revealed Villa had an offer turned down for the talented midfielder.

Villa also reportedly rejected three offers for their star midfielder Douglas Luiz last month, and with John McGinn also linked with a move away from Villa Park, there’s no doubt Gerrard will be looking to strengthen his midfield come the end of the season.

Bissouma is also admired by many clubs in the Premier League, with both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur linked with the midfielder, meaning Gerrard could well prioritise Ndidi this summer.

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