Arsenal lining up £40m plus Granit Xhaka move for Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi

Arsenal are reportedly lining up a move for Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi for a reported £40m this January.

The rumours come to the front following the Gunners’ appointment of former Manchester City assistant manager Mikel Arteta who is willing to splash the cash to improve his new side.

It is also reported that along with the hefty price tag, Arsenal’s former captain Granit Xhaka is said to be going to Leicester in what would be a player plus cash deal.

The likelihood of Leicester letting go of one of their brightest talents is very slim especially considering their unbelievable form.

The Foxes are currently in second place, ahead of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, but are 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool who also have a game in hand.

With Arsenal floundering in 11th place and 16 points behind Brendan Rodgers’ side, the move for Ndidi could be seen as a step back for his career.

Ndidi is one of the top defensive midfielders in the league and would help sure up Arsenal’s leaky defence, which has already conceded 27 goals.

The Nigerian international has been in impressive form under Rodgers this season, helping the likes of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans to push forward and create opportunities for the attackers.

If Arsenal were able to pull off this coup in January, it spells trouble for midfielder Lucas Torreira who plays a similar role to Ndidi.

Torreira is 23 years old, the same as Ndidi, and a move for the Leicester midfielder would make the Uruguyan’s future even less uncertain at the club.

Granit Xhaka being involved in the potential deal for Ndidi comes as no surprise following his outburst in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

Following the incident, the Swiss international and captain was stripped of his captaincy for Arsenal by then-manager Unai Emery and was not included for the next couple of fixtures.

The enigmatic deep-lying playmaker has been linked with a return to the Bundesliga with his former club Borussia Monchengladbach and Hertha Berlin both interested in his services.

Reports also suggest that in addition to signing Ndidi, Arteta is looking to bring in a striker such as Lyon’s Moussa Dembele in order to replace one of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Both Arsenal strikers are currently stalling on a new deal as Champions League football for the Gunners looks less likely as the weeks pass.