The bargain free transfer Everton must make their next summer signing

It’s an unorthodox path. Usually, if a player is going to jump ship from a relegated club, they do so in the weeks and months after the relegation, not at the point that said club prepare to make their immediate return to the Premier League. Nevertheless, this looks to be the way of things for Wilfred Ndidi and Leicester City.

The midfielder stuck by the Foxes during their brief dalliance with Championship football, but now, as they gear up for the top flight once more, it would appear that he is on his way out. With his contract on the cusp of expiration, and with no renewal in sight, his seven-year residency at the King Power may finally be coming to an end.

Most likely to benefit from his departure is Everton. According to Football Insider, the 27-year-old is closing in on a move to Merseyside, with the Toffees hoping that a deal could be completed as early as next week. Talks between player and club are said to be advancing at a promising rate, and there is a growing belief that an agreement could be reached in time for Ndidi to join up with Sean Dyche’s squad in time to begin preseason as a Blue.

Certainly, from an Everton perspective, this feels like a no-brainer. Finances are expected to be tight at Goodison Park this summer, and the opportunity to bring in a player of Ndidi’s quality on a free transfer is far too good to pass up. The 57-cap Nigeria international is an FA Cup winner who has played almost 200 times in the Premier League, and who has previously been linked with a host of top six clubs. Prising him away from Leicester - who have offered him a new contract, for what it’s worth - would, therefore, be a fairly decent coup.

And that may become doubly true depending on how things pan out with Amadou Onana over the coming weeks. The Belgian midfielder has reportedly emerged as a target for Bayern Munich after the Bavarian giants became frustrated in their long-term pursuit of Fulham maestro Joao Palhinha, according to the Liverpool Echo. Indeed, it is even claimed that both Everton and Onana himself would be willing to consider a parting of ways if the right offer were to come in.

Naturally, that would leave something of a vacuum in the centre of the park, and while Ndidi may not offer quite as much in an attacking sense as the 22-year-old, there is no denying that his arrival would provide a colossal presence in a vital area.

If Everton are to genuinely improve their squad in spite of their ongoing financial worries, then they will have to be both canny and thrifty over the coming months. In that regard, Ndidi would be an acquisition that ticks both boxes; a player who would surely offer something worthwhile, but who would also cost absolutely nothing, wages aside. As a confirmation edges ever closer, this feels like an ideal next summer signing for the Toffees.