Following Sergio Busquets’ decision to leave at the end of last season, Barcelona were forced to enter the market in search of a new defensive midfielder. Due to their ongoing financial problems, they couldn’t spend big, which led them to sign Oriol Romeu from Girona in a low-cost operation.
However, it has not been an easy start to life back at Barcelona for Romeu, who has found himself regularly out of contention in recent weeks. Xavi Hernandez has opted to use Frenkie de Jong as his deepest midfielder, alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri.
While these three are an excellent trio, Barcelona would like to have a natural single pivot that is able to be called upon when necessary, and Romeu does not appear to be trusted. This has led to reports that he could return to Girona next summer, and that the Blaugrana will look to sign a replacement.
Given that Barcelona are still struggling financially, they are likely to find themselves in the same position of not being able to spend big. The free agent market could be their best friend once again, and in recent weeks, they have been linked with Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi.
Ndidi is out of contract at the end of the season, and it doesn’t appear that he will renew, even though it looks like Leicester will be returning back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, having been relegated from the division last season. This could open the door for Barcelona to make a move, although Fichajes say that Juventus and Sevilla are also interested.
Ndidi was once considered to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, although injury problems meant that he has struggled for form in the last couple of years. He has impressed in the EFL Championship, although that level is far away from the likes of La Liga and Serie A.
Still, especially at no cost, Ndidi could be a good addition to the Barcelona squad. He has shown this season that he is very good with the ball at his feet, and he is naturally a very strong tackler and is good at reading the play, which would be required if he were to make the move to Catalonia.
There’s no doubt that there are better options out there for Barcelona, but their financial woes mean that 99% of targets will be unattainable next summer. This could mean that Ndidi is the best option, and if that is the case, he could be a good addition to the squad. However, whether he is an upgrade on Romeu is certainly open to interpretation.
