Norwich City midfielder James Maddison has Premier League admirers in the shape of Southampton, Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City.
The prospect of James Maddison signing for Southampton already looks improbable – but it would look all but impossible unless Mark Hughes can pull off a great escape on the South Coast.
The Telegraph claims that The Saints have emerged as an outside candidate to sign the Norwich City star this summer on the back of a brilliant breakthrough campaign in English football’s second tier, in which he has scored 14 goals and set up eight more.
It is understood that bonafide top flight giants Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City are all big admirers of the £25 million-rated Maddison, as are an ambitious and big-spending Everton side.
So the prospect of the England U21 playmaker signing for Southampton this summer looks quite unlikely with The Saints currently stuck in the Premier League’s bottom three, five points adrift of safety with just five games remaining.
But the Telegraph does state that his preference would be to sign for a club who would offer him regular starts.
And it’s fair to say Maddison would stand a far better chance of establishing himself in Southampton’s first XI than he would at City, Arsenal and Tottenham, all of whom are hardly short of talented midfielders.
Even an Everton side who are sitting ninth right now would not be able to guarantee Maddison a crucial role in the first team, given that central midfield is probably the strongest area of their squad.
So if Southampton do manage to stay up, they could have a trump card to play in the pursuit of one of England’s most coveted talents. Though, at £25 million, they’d have to shatter their transfer record.
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