Why Wilfred Ndidi rejected lucrative Saudi move to stay at Leicester

Johnson OpeisaJuly 12, 20241 Mins read193

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 12 : Wilfred Ndidi signs a new contract with Leicester City at Seagrave Training Complex on July 12, 2024 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has signed a new three-year deal with an option of a further year with Leicester City, keeping him at the Kings Power Stadium until at least 2027.

Ndidi’s previous contract with Leicester ended at the end of June. Unlike his compatriot Kelechi Iheancho who left the club after his contract expiration, the 27-year-old has recommitted his services to the Foxes.

OFFICIAL 🚨

kelechi Iheanacho leaves Leicester City.

Joined the foxes 🦊 from Manchester City in 2017 with a whopping fee of £25 million, with a total of 232 match appearances and 64 goals, 33 assists and he was instrumental in Leicester City's 2020–21 FA Cup, scoring a… pic.twitter.com/H3nV57v5Im
— Football 411 (@football__411) June 7, 2024

Technically, Ndidi has been a free agent since the beginning of July until now. The Lagos-born midfielder, according to a report from The Athletic, “rejected an offer from Saudi Arabia as he wants to remain in Europe and boost his chances of selection by Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup campaigns.’’

“I feel great, I feel excited, I feel at home,’’ Ndidi told Leicester media. “That’s the most important thing. I feel really happy to continue with the Club. My family is settled here and everyone back home, when they say Ndidi, they say Leicester also! It’s really amazing to be a part of this journey going forward.’’

Ndidi missed Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign due to an injury but was involved in the three-time African champions’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers under Finidi George in June. The 27-year-old currently has 58 caps for Nigeria following his debut in a 2-0 loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo on October 8, 2015.

At the club level, Ndidi joined Genk from a Nigeria-based football academy, Nathanial Boys, in 2015. His impressive two-year stint at the Belgian first-division side earned him a career-boosting move to Leicester in 2017. He has since registered 17 goals and 17 assists for the Foxes in 273 appearances, winning the Emirates FA Cup in the 2020/21 season, and the FA Community Shield the following season.

Ndidi had one of his highest goal-contribution campaigns in the 2023/24 season, where he registered four goals and five assists across 32 games, as the Enzo Maresca-led Leicester won the EFL Championship and also sealed their place in the 2024/25 EPL season.