Leicester bank on Ndidi’s loyalty as Arsenal, others circle round midfielder

Leicester fear they could lose their ‘new N’Golo Kante’ as Arsenal and Manchester United sniff around Wilfred Ndidi. But the champions believe Ndidi would be loyal enough to the club to remain at the King Power Stadium.

The central midfielder snubbed the Gunners’ advances last summer before the Foxes pushed through a deal in January.

Ndidi has been branded “the new N’Golo Kante “ after his stunning turn in performances have flung the Foxes up the Premier League table.

Leicester signed the Nigerian for £17 million from Genk to fill the hole left by omnipresent Kante – who joined Chelsea in the summer.

The Foxes have risen from the relegation zone to 13th after four straight league wins, which has got the Gunners, United, Southampton and Bundesliga side, Hamburg whipping their cheque books out.

Ndidi scored his second Leicester goal against Stoke at the weekend to add some extra numbers to his price tag and boss Craig Shakespeare admits

“Our recruitment department take a real pat on the back for that. We did a lot of homework on him and I think we were one of the first clubs, if not the first, to show an interest in him,” he said.

“I think he, and his family and agent, remembered that so we were in the driving seat. When other clubs came in for him he remembered the way we went about it first. He had other options.

“From what you’re seeing so far, we’ve got a good player on our hands.”

Ndidi was voted the man of the match for his goal-scoring performance in Leicester City’s 2-0 victory over Stoke.

The 20-year-old opened the scoring for City in the first half with his thunderous 25-yard strike.

Ndidi won a total of 39 per cent of the more than 3,300 votes in the Leicester Mercury’s man-of-the-match poll, which was been running since Saturday evening.

He was comfortable the winner, with Riyad Mahrez picking up 21 per cent of the votes and Demarai Gray just behind the Algerian with 19 per cent.

The only other two City players to figure were fellow scorer Jamie Vardy, who got City’s second just after half-time, and full-back Danny Simpson, whose cross led to Vardy’s goal. Simpson got seven per cent of the vote and Vardy six per cent.