Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have both been linked with James Maddison in recent months.
Back in March, Dean Jones told GiveMeSport that both Spurs and the Magpies were eyeing the Leicester star.
“Obviously, Newcastle have been really keen, Tottenham have been keeping an eye on it too,” he said.
“And who knows who else might now come into the mix at the end of the season; we’ll have to see.”
Some reports have been suggesting that Spurs are frontrunners for Maddison’s signature.
The Telegraph reported this last week, also saying Leicester would accept £50million for the player.
However, Jones has now backed Newcastle to beat Tottenham in the race to sign Maddison.
He told GiveMeSport that reports saying Spurs are in pole position are “strange”.
Newcastle are currently in a better position than Tottenham, suggested Jones.
“I find it strange,” he wrote. “I think it’s jumping the gun a little bit to say Spurs are the favourites to sign Maddison.
“They don’t currently have a manager, they don’t currently have an identity, they don’t have any promise of Champions League football.
“In the background, Newcastle are still interested.
“And from what we can see right now, they have a better foundation for the project they’re building and the ambitions that they have in the coming years.”
Our view
Maddison is an outstanding player. “One of the best players in the Premier League,” Brendan Rodgers said last year.
With Leicester battling relegation, the likelihood is that he’ll leave in the summer even if they stay up.
Jones has a point. There’s a lot of work for Tottenham to do to get back to the level they were at under Mauricio Pochettino.
Meanwhile, Newcastle’s future is bright, exciting and, most crucially of all, stable.
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