Football: Besiktas ‘agree deal’ with Leicester City to sign Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi
Ndidi's move to Istanbul 'green-lighted'
Sky Sports transfer expert Florian Plettenberg has revealed that Turkish Super Lig outfit Besiktas have reached an agreement with Leicester City for the signing of Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi ahead of the 2025-26 league season.
The 28-year-old Nigerian international has been a key figure in the Foxes' engine room since arriving at the club from KRC Genk during the January 2017 transfer window, and helped them win both the Premier League (2015-16) and FA Cup (2020-21) titles.
It is understood that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side tabled an offer in the region of €9.5m for the midfielder, which Leicester agreed to as they look to bolster their squad in an attempt to earn promotion from the EFL Championship, while Ndidi will be able to compete at the highest level.
Ndidi’s signing is also widely considered one of the final rolls of the dice for Solskjaer, whose position at the club is reportedly uncertain after finishing fourth in the Super Lig last season and getting eliminated from the Europa League 6-2 on aggregate by Shakhtar Donetsk during the second qualifying round.
Plettenberg also mentioned in his post on social media platform X that the Super Eagles’ midfielder is expected to arrive in Istanbul on Wednesday, August 7, for his medical, following which he will put pen to paper on a three-year contract.
Among the teams that were linked with a move for Ndidi this summer were Manchester United, Everton, Valencia and Real Betis. The 28-year-old featured in 29 games across all competitions for Leicester last season and recorded one goal and five assists.
Nigeria duo set to cross paths in 2025-26 Super Lig season
While Besiktas had to fork over just shy of €10m to secure the services of Ndidi for the upcoming season, that figure pales in comparison to the amount Galatasaray coughed up for the Leicester midfielder’s Nigerian compatriot Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
Indeed, the Turkish champions shattered the league’s all-time transfer record, splashing out a staggering €75m for Osimhen’s signature. The previous most expensive transfer in the league’s history was €19.5m, which Fenerbahce paid for Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla at the start of last season.
Osimhen will reportedly pocket a stunning €21m per season, made up of €15m wages, €1m loyalty bonuses and €5m in image rights. He now holds the second and third-highest transfer fees among African players globally, only behind Nicolas Pepe’s €80m move to Arsenal in 2019.
The 26-year-old spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Cimbom and helped them win their domestic league title while scoring an incredible 37 goals and providing six assists in 41 matches across all competitions.
