Man Utd ‘divided’ over signing combative midfielder who’s ‘anxious’ to join after holding ‘talks’ | OneFootball

Besiktas defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is keen on a move to Manchester United, according to two reliable sources, including Fabrizio Romano, and while the Red Devils have held talks over a January deal, it has emerged that there is a division at Old Trafford over the former Leicester City star.

TEAMtalk has long reported that Man Utd are keen on signing a top-class midfielder in 2026, with Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba on their wishlist. However, it is very unlikely that any of these midfielders will be sold in the middle of the season.

The prospect of Man Utd signing a midfielder on loan in the January transfer window has emerged, with talkSPORT reporting that Wilfred Ndidi is a player who could end up at Man Utd.

The former Leicester City defensive midfielder joined Besiktas only in the summer of 2025, but the Nigeria international is ready to leave the Turkish Super Lig club and return to the Premier League.

According to reliable journalist Alan Myers on X, Man Utd have already held talks over Ndidi, who is said to be “anxious” to switch to Old Trafford.

Myers, who has almost 100,000 followers on X, wrote at 9:47am on January 21: “My contacts in Turkey tell me Manchester United have had talks about Wilfred Ndidi, the player is anxious to return to England.”

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, too, has claimed that the 29-year-old has been “offered” to Man Utd, but no decision has been made yet.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “One player that’s been offered to Manchester United is Wilfried Ndidi, former Leicester City midfielder now playing in Turkey who’s been offered to Manchester United as an opportunity for this January transfer window for the midfield.

“Offered in the sense that the player would be keen on returning to Premier League. Manchester United are aware of this chance, but at the moment, Manchester United have not made any bid or any proposal.

“The player is ready in terms of contract side, even to accept eventually what it could take to go back to Premier League obviously at an important level.

“So, let’s see what’s going to happen in this kind of conversation because at the moment the player has been offered to United as of today, on Thursday.

“Still Man United not making any sort of progress in the sense of advancing in conversations to sign the player or send an official bid. Man United didn’t do anything at this stage, but Ndidi is offering himself.”

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Man Utd stance on signing Wilfred Ndidi – report

There is clear interest from Man Utd in getting a deal done for Ndidi, who, during his time at Leicester, earned a reputation for being a very combative midfielder who could hold his own in the middle of the park and stop the opposition from playing their game.

A short-term loan deal would be beneficial for Man Utd, with interim-manager Michael Carrick aiming to guide the team to a top-four finish in the Premier League table this season.

While it remains to be seen if Besiktas would be willing to let Ndidi leave on loan or demand a transfer fee, Man Utd are said to be divided over a deal for the former Leicester star.

According to Fichajes, Ndidi is ‘a profile that divides opinions’ at Old Trafford.

The Spanish media outlet, which is admittedly not one of the most reliable sources, has reported that some at Man Utd see Ndidi ‘as an immediate solution to bolster the defensive balance’, but ‘others believe the club should opt for a younger player’.

Now, this does appear to be a sensible internal debate. Ndidi is 29 now, and the midfielder would have little resale value if Man Utd were to do a permanent deal.

However, as a loan option, a move for Ndidi would not be a bad idea for Man Utd, as he would give Carrick another option and help boost competition and add more experience to his midfield.