Barcelona 'remain interested in Leicester City's Wilfred Ndidi'

The Nigeria international only has a contract with Leicester until next June and is not expected to pen an extension at the King Power Stadium, even if the Foxes are successful in returning to the Premier League.

Barcelona are said to be long-term admirers of the 26-year-old, and according to Sport, a move for the midfielder in 2024 cannot be ruled out.

The report claims that 'there is a lot of competition' for Ndidi, but the Catalan outfit are confident that they would be able to convince him to make the move to Camp Nou.

Barcelona have also been linked with moves for the likes of Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, but it is understood that neither will be possible next year due to their valuations.

Xavi's side are hoping to sign both Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on permanent deals from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively, meanwhile, meaning that there is unlikely to be money in the budget for a new central midfielder.

Barcelona are said to have been interested in purchasing Ndidi in 2022 but were told that they would have to come up with a fee of €60m (£51.4m) in order to sign him.

Juventus and Sevilla are two of the other clubs said to be looking to sign the midfielder, who will be able to speak to foreign clubs over a pre-contract at the start of 2024.

Ndidi has been a vital player for Leicester during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring three goals and registering five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions.

The midfielder made the move to Leicester from Genk in January 2017, and he has represented his current side on 255 occasions, scoring 14 goals and registering 17 assists in the process.

Ndidi has gained Champions League experience during his time with the Foxes, featuring on four occasions in the competition, while he has also played in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.

The Nigerian was widely expected to leave Leicester over the summer following their relegation to the Championship, but he remained at the King Power Stadium past the transfer deadline.

Barcelona will be without the services of Gavi for the remainder of the season due to a serious knee injury, but Xavi still has plenty of midfield options in the shape of Pedri, Oriol Romeu, Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez.

Youngsters Marc Casado, Aleix Garrido, Angel Alarcon and Unai Hernandez have also been in and around the first team during the 2023-24 campaign.