Eagles midfielders Ndidi and Onyedika feature on Barcelona's summer shortlist of targets

BARCELONA have upped their interest in Nigerian midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Raphael Onyedika with a view to signing at least one of them during the summer transfer window as the Spanish giants look to make a challenge for the league title next season.

Currently sitting third in the Spanish league table, some eight points behinds bitter rivals Real Madrid who lead the way, Barcelona have little hope of winning La Liga this year.  However, the club is hoping that the signing a new defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window, will enable it produce a more formidable squad next season.

Having seen the Oriol Romeu signing not work, Barcelona's sporting director Deco is scouring the market for options in the market to fill the void that was left by Sergio Busquets’ departure in the summer of 2022. Names like Joshua Kimmich, Bruno Guimaraes, and Martin Zubimendi continue to feature on Barcelona’s wish-list but they are all simply unfeasible at this point due to the club’s financial state.

Consequently, Barcelona is looking at some low-cost options to reinforce the defensive midfield position, with Leicester City's Ndidi and Onyedika of Club Brugge in Belgium on the shortlist. Ndidi, 27, has a lot of experience at the top level and his proven pedigree make him an enticing target for Barça.

What makes the Nigerian international even more is that his contract with the Foxes expires at the end of the season, meaning he would be available for free in the summer. Onyedika, 22,  on the other hand, is a young, up-and-coming talent, who has been earning his spurs with Club Brugge since joining them in 2022.

Onyedika's market value stands at just €8m, although his contract with Brugge runs until 2027, which does give them an edge in negotiations. Aleix Garcia of Girona appears to be high on the Barcelona wish-list too, while other names like Youssouf Fofana, Ederson and Dion Lopy are also being mentioned.