Wilfred Ndidi will be with Leicester City for a “long, long time”, according to Manager, Craig Shakespeare, after the Nigerian’s impressive start to Premier League life raised the prospect of larger clubs circling this summer.
The 20-year-old signed from Genk in a £15 million deal during the January window, but already looks worth a higher fee due to a series of composed displays as the anchor of Leicester’s midfield.
Leicester beat a number of other clubs to Ndidi’s signature by virtue of firming up their interest first almost 18 months ago, but those same sides may try again now that he has proved his quality.
Sportsmail understands Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea have all scouted Ndidi, while Southampton and Crystal Palace pressed ahead with rival moves but were unsuccessful.
Ndidi’s profile has risen after scoring a second wonder goal from range against Stoke on Saturday, following on from a similar strike in the FA Cup win over Derby County.
However Shakespeare said: “He’s with us for a long time on a long-term contract. We want to keep our best players, of which he is one.
“We can do nothing about speculation. It is a credit to him, in terms of the way he has performed. But also the way he is. He is a very good professional, very mature head on his shoulders.
“I have no problem with speculation, but we have our best players tied up. Of course, there can always be bids, we can always turn them down. Football is football, you’ll always get bids for good players.
“Speaking to Wilfred, he is very happy here. He knows that we have given him the opportunity and I am sure that hopefully he will be a player here for a long, long time.
‘Because of his age I’m reluctant put to much expectation on him. He’s only 20 but looks tailor-made for Premier League. I hope players want to improve and season by season.”
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