Aston Villa, Wolves and Newcastle United eye move for free agent star with over 190 top-flight appearances

Aston Villa are one of the frontrunners to sign a talented Leicester City midfielder with bags of Premier League experience, according to reports from HITC.

As it stands, Villa are fifth in the Premier League table which could potentially be enough to secure Champions League depending on England’s coefficient ranking come the end of the season.

Regardless, the West Midlands club remain in the hunt for fourth place and are tied level on points with Tottenham having played one game extra. The next few weeks will prove decisive in deciding whether the Villains will return to the Champions League for the first time since 1983, but either way it is likely that the club will take a step up to a higher European competition than the Europa Conference League next season.

Squad depth is paramount in ensuring that the club remains competitive on multiple fronts and that has been demonstrated this season by Newcastle, who have struggled with an avalanche of injuries since qualifying for the Champions League.

Villa are keen to adhere to Financial Fair Play rules in the summer and one player who could prove to be a bargain is Leicester City Wilfred Ndidi, who is expected to become a free agent in the summer. The 27-year-old has bags of experience at Premier League level. He arrived at the King Power Stadium in 2016 from Genk and was part of the Foxes team which reached the quarter-final of the Champions League.

Over the course of the next four seasons he quickly established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, although his form did drop off slightly due to a series of injuries in the club’s relegation season.

The 56-time Nigerian international was one of the big names to remain at Leicester after their relegation and has played a key part in their promotion push in a more advanced role under Enzo Marseca. 

So far this season he has four goals and six assists to his name. But his future remains uncertain regardless of the club’s promotion push due to the ongoing PSR concerns around Leicester and whether they will be able to afford his wage demands.

Aston Villa are not alone in their pursuit of Ndidi and HITC also understands that both Newcastle United and Wolves are keen on making a move for the midfielder.