Ancelotti keen on Ndidi
Real Madrid are thought to be keen on signing the Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
According to Fichajes (via Leicester Mercury), the 24-year-old was on the radar of Manchester United as well last summer but the Spanish giants are now ready to make a move worth around £52 million for the midfielder in January.
Ndidi has been exceptional for Leicester City since joining them and he could prove to be a useful addition to Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield.
The report states that the Italian manager is unhappy with the form of Brazilian international midfielder Casemiro and he is looking at alternatives.
Casemiro has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks and it will be interesting to see if Real Madrid are willing to cash in on him in the near future.
The Brazilian is a world-class player on his day and he has been an outstanding servant for the club over the last few years. Ndidi is undoubtedly a quality player but an in-form Casemiro is certainly better than the Nigerian international midfielder.
Ndidi arrived in the Premier League back in 2017 as a replacement for N’Golo Kante and he has managed to rack up 187 appearances for Leicester City. There is no doubt that he has the quality to play for a top club and it remains to be seen how his future unfolds.
Real Madrid certainly have the means to pay a premium to secure his services but the reported £52 million fee seems quite excessive for a player who is yet to prove himself in the Champions League.
Xavi’s transfer budget
Meanwhile, Barcelona appointed Xavi Hernandez as their new manager earlier but they are not in a position to back their former star in the January transfer market.
According to ESPN, Xavi will have less than €10 million to spend on transfers in January because of the club’s financial situation.
Apparently, the cost of firing Ronald Koeman and hiring Xavi has eaten into the transfer budget. Barcelona had to pay Koeman a severance fee of around €12 million and Xavi’s release clause was €5 million. Furthermore, the new contracts for Ansu Fati and Pedri have affected the club’s spending power as well.
Barcelona are in desperate need of reinforcements and the reported transfer budget is certainly not enough to strengthen the side sufficiently.
It will be interesting to see if the Spanish side can improve without new signings during the second half of the season and finish the campaign strongly.
