Leicester are looking upwards of £50m for midfielder James Maddison amid interest from Newcastle and Tottenham. Despite being demoted and Maddison having only one year left on his contract, the Foxes still view the midfielder as their most valuable asset. Both Newcastle and Tottenham are making a strong effort to recruit Maddison and are confident in their abilities to do so. Spurs are hopeful that despite Newcastle’s interest, which dates back to the January transfer window, he would be motivated to play in Ange Postecoglou’s plans and prefer living in London. Newcastle has Champions League football to lure him.
The footballer and the former Celtic manager are both represented by the same firm, CAA Base. Spurs had initial contact with Leicester more than a week ago, and it is believed that they inquired about winger Harvey Barnes. However, nothing was formally proposed or agreed upon. Barnes is being pursued by a number of teams, including West Ham, and Leicester estimates his value to be in the region of £40 million. Barnes had previously been a target for Arsenal.
Despite their relegation, the reputation of Leicester midfielder James Maddison remains unblemished. He nevertheless managed 10 goals and 9 assists in Premier League games alone during a challenging season for the team. At the King Power Stadium, it was an extension of his exceptional body of work. He has developed into one of the top offensive midfielders in the Premier League over the course of five seasons.
The data show that he is a member of the elite. Only two players—Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold—have produced more opportunities in the Premier League since he joined Leicester from Norwich in 2018, and only three—Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, and Heung Min-Son—have taken more attempts at goal. In terms of assists and major opportunities created, Maddison also places in the top eight. Only 18 players have scored more goals over that time frame (a total of 43). The sum of the parts demonstrates why he is so in demand. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if other suitors showed up in the coming weeks.
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