Super Eagles Star Nears Big-Money Move to Turkey, Set to Become Osimhen’s New Rival
- Super Eagles star Wilfred Ndidi is nearing a big-money move to a Turkish Super League club
- Ndidi will leave Leicester City after the club were relegated to the EFL Championship last season
- The midfielder will face Super Eagles teammate Victor Osimhen in the Istanbul derby next season
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is close to joining Turkish Super League club Besiktas in a big-money move ahead of next season.
Ndidi was close to leaving Leicester City last season after the club gained promotion to the Premier League table following one season in the Championship.
Source: Getty Images
The defensive midfielder, whose contract expired, opted to renew it and continue, despite interest from other Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa.
The 2016 Premier League champions were relegated again, prompting Ndidi to want to leave the club after eight seasons at the King Power Stadium.
According to BBC Sports, his new contract included a clause which allows him to leave Leicester for £9 million if the club is relegated.
Ndidi close to joining Besiktas
According to Tribuna, Ndidi is nearing a move to Tribuna after club-to-club discussions and personal terms talks accelerated in the last 24 hours.
Leicester City have accepted Besiktas’s £8.3 million offer despite falling short of his release clause, having initially rejected a lower offer two days ago.
The former Genk star has also accepted a three-year contract with an option of another year, and the net salary is believed to exceed his current take-home from his £75,000 at the English club.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pivotal to securing Ndidi’s signing, having also attempted to sign him when he was in charge at Manchester United.
When will Ndidi face Osimhen in Turkey?
Besiktas is one of the six Super League clubs based in Istanbul and is a direct rival of Galatasaray, where Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen plays.
The two national teammates will turn rivals in the Istanbul derby next season and have two confirmed dates for their league clash with the Turkish league starting in three days.
The first meeting between the two sides will be on October 5, 2025, at Rams Park, the home of Galatasaray, while the return leg will be on March 8, 2025, at Tupras Stadium.
Source: Getty Images
Wilfred Ndidi's stats at Leicester
As noted by Transfermarkt, Ndidi saw both success and failure at Leicester City during his eight-year spell, during which he played 303 matches.
He scored seven goals and, most notably, provided 14 assists, which is more than the legendary Austin Jay-Jay Okocha recorded in the English league. He won the 2021 FA Cup and Community Shield, and also the EFL Championship in 2024.
Highest-paid Nigerian footballers in Europe
Legit.ng analysed the highest-paid Super Eagles stars in Europe after Victor Osimhen sealed a mega move to Galatasaray, where he spent last season on loan.
The former Napoli player will earn €21 million per annum, which is about ₦38 billion and around ₦747 million per week, to become the highest-paid Nigerian.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
