Aston Villa ‘eye’ move for stand-out Championship midfielder as he approaches final months of contract

Aston Villa are eyeing a move for a high-flying Championship midfielder with bags of top-flight experience, according to reports.

The Villains have made a fantastic start to the season - winning seven of their opening 11 league games, but Unai Emery is keen to add further squad depth to his team so that they can challenge on all fronts in both domestic and European competitions.

TEAMtalk reports that one of the players at the top of Emery’s wishlist is Leicester City star Wilfried Ndidi. The defensive midfielder has been on the books at Leicester since January 2017 and has amassed over 192 Premier League appearances for the Foxes. Ndidi has plenty of European experience with Leicester and was a member of the team which reached the quarter-final of the Champions League in 2017.

The Nigerian international has also played for the East Midlands side in the Europa League and was a member of the team which reached the semi-final of the Europa Conference League, a competition which Villa themselves are hoping to win under Emery this term.

Ndidi was once viewed as one of the best defensive minded midfielders in the league and was a key component of a Leicester team which recorded back-to-back fifth place finishes under Brendan Rodgers. Last season proved to be Ndidi’s most difficult in a Leicester shirt and the club were surprisingly relegated after an 18th place finish.

The 54-time international was one of the main senior players to agree to stay at Leicester in the summer window and his experience has been integral to the Foxes strong form in the Championship under new boss Enzo Maresca. Ndidi has played in 12 of his side’s matches this season as the Foxes sit top of the table with an impressive 39 points from 15 games. However, the 26-year-old’s future at the club is in doubt at the moment as his existing contract with the club expires in June 2024.

TEAMtalk reports that discussions have been held with the player, but no agreement has been reached. The outlet adds that Newcastle, Brentford and Atletico Madrid could all emerge as potential rivals for the player. Newcastle in particular are keen to add depth to their team due to the long-term ban that was placed on midfielder Sandro Tonali for betting offences.