Arsenal are now prepared to offer Leicester City a part-exchange deal for their star playmaker James Maddison.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that the Gunners are now prepared to ramp up their efforts to bring Maddison down to North London.
Leicester wouldn’t sell Maddison for £50million, but Arsenal could offer fringe players on top of a big fee to make the deal happen. The Gunners allegedly believe Leicester will negotiate such a deal.
Winger Reiss Nelson is one player who could be offered up to Leicester with Brendan Rodgers allegedly keen to add a wide man this summer.
The 21-year-old barely featured under Mikel Arteta last season but clearly has quality and real potential, which Rodgers may feel he can unlock.
The Foxes wanted Ainsley Maitland-Niles in January, and Arsenal would also be willing to let him go in order to land Maddison.
Leicester are in a strong position; Maddison is on a £100,000-a-week contract and they rejected £70million for him last summer, so are under no pressure to sell.
Arsenal may well find that they not only need to send £50million, but also not one but two players, such as Nelson and Maitland-Niles, in order to get this deal done.
Maddison is one of the Premier League’s most creative players and a major threat from set pieces.
Arsenal need a number 10; Mesut Oil has long gone and Martin Odegaard’s loan spell is over, so splashing out on a new playmaker is a must.
With Ben White on his way, adding another top English talent in Maddison would set Arsenal up for years to come – but Edu will have to dig deep and get creative if Maddison is to make the move.
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