Ndidi is set to replace N’Golo Kante at Leicester but The Magpies and Spurs wanted him when he was valued at just £8 million.
Leicester City are set to secure the signature of £15 million rated 19-year-old Wilfred Ndidi, The Guardian reports, though Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur could well regret not ramping up their interest.
The Genk youngster made his debut for the club at centre-back in January 2015 but has since moved into midfield to great effect with his energy and tenacity in the challenge drawing inevitable comparisons with title-winning talisman N’Golo Kante.
Leicester have badly missed their ground-eating enforcer with their limp title defence proving just how important the Frenchman was to Claudio Ranieri’s side.
Therefore, the veteran manager will be praying that Ndidi can step up to the plate, particularly with Nampalys Mendy, the initial replacement for Kante, spending most of the season on the treatment table.
However, according to The Chronicle, Newcastle had identified the teenager, rated at just £8 million in November, as a potential transfer target for January while Spurs had also expressed an interest.
As it stands, however, Ndidi, who can also play at full-back, will be posing with the Leicester blue in the coming days and, if quotes from former Genk boss Alex McLeish are anything to go by, Newcastle and Tottenham could regret not upping their bids.
“He is very, very quick, very strong and has a good technique,” the former Scotland boss told africanfootball.com in 2015.
“From what I have seen in training in last few weeks, he is a player who has a great future in the game.”
Midfielders of Kante’s ilk are very much in-vogue at the moment and, while Newcastle and Tottenham are well stocked in the midfield department, the Frenchman’s influence at Chelsea proves how essential a selfless, tireless watercarrier can be to a side stocked with floating attacking talent.
Meanwhile, Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame have flattered to deceive in the Premier League in the past and Isaac Hayden is completely unproven at anything above Championship level, suggesting that The Magpies excellent form in the second tier is no guarantee of top flight success.
Furthermore, with Spurs struggling to balance both domestic and European competition this season, a player with the versatility and energy of Ndidi could have been crucial.
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