Report: Spurs and Liverpool reluctant to pay £25m for Maddison

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Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are both keen on James Maddison after his incredible year in the Championship.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Leicester City are leading the charge to sign James Maddison from Norwich City as Tottenham and Liverpool are both reluctant to meet his £25 million asking price.

Maddison has enjoyed a stunning season in the Championship with the Canaries. The 21-year-old has scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in the league, and it appears that he is set to be Premier League-bound in the summer.

The Mail reports that the Foxes, Spurs, the Reds and Southampton are all interested in Maddison. And while Norwich’s asking price is not putting Leicester off a potential bid, the other three sides are less convinced about offering such an amount.

Smart move from Liverpool and Tottenham?

Despite Maddison’s form and the kind of fees that seem to be thrown about in today’s game, it is arguably a gamble to pay such an amount for a player who is yet to play at the highest level and has only played regularly in the Championship this season.

Given that he is the focal point at Carrow Road, it is unlikely that the Reds or Spurs would see a clear return on their investment straight away as he is not going to be able to play that key role for either initially, and will surely struggle for opportunities in the early stages if Jurgen Klopp or Mauricio Pochettino decided to keep him around if either managed to sign him.

Nevertheless, he clearly has a huge amount of talent and potential, so may well prove to be a steal in the future if Spurs or Liverpool take a gamble on him.

But given that BBC Sport reports that Mohamed Salah cost just £9 million more last summer than what Norwich want for Maddison, it is not that difficult to see why both heavyweights are biding their time and letting Leicester seize the initiative.