Leicester City have agreed a deal to sign Wilfred Ndidi from Genk in a deal worth £15m plus £3m in potential add-ons. The midfielder had the first part of his medical in December and is looking to conclude the final part of the tests to join on 1 January.

Leicester have applied for a work permit for the 20-year-old and will be able to announce the deal once that has come through. The Premier League champions have beaten off interest from several other top European clubs to sign the Nigeria international. Their manager, Claudio Ranieri, sees him as the perfect replacement for N’Golo Kanté, who joined Chelsea in the summer.

Leicester have struggled without the French international and Ranieri hopes Ndidi will adapt to the Premier League quickly as the club aim to move away from the relegation zone. Leicester also face Sevilla in the last 16 of the Champions League in February.

After Genk’s 2-0 victory over Gent on Tuesday night, Ndidi confirmed he had played his last game for the club and paid tribute to coach Peter Maes.

“I really want to thank Peter Maes,” he said. “It is true that this was my last game for Genk. Whether I am now emotional? Quite a bit, yes. Especially because of the situation surrounding Maes. He has made me the player I am today. I owe my transfer to him.”

Born in Lagos, Ndidi was discovered by Manchester United’s Belgium scout Roland Janssen at a youth tournament in 2013. He joined Genk in 2015 and has made 62 league appearances for the Belgian club and scored four goals.