Should Newcastle become seventh PL side keen on James Maddison?

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James Maddison has a host of Premier League sides after his signature, and Newcastle United should arguably join the chase.

With four wins on the bounce taking Newcastle to the brink of Premier League survival, Rafa Benitez can surely allow himself to start thinking about his summer plans at St James’ Park. And after the frustration that he has had to put up with, he has every right to ask Mike Ashley to show some real ambition in the window.

Benitez has arguably worked wonders with the current squad, but with a handful of their key men only with the Magpies on loan, there is undoubtedly a need to strengthen significantly in the coming months to ensure that they do not require a late four-match winning run to keep them away from trouble this time next year.

And Newcastle should perhaps look to make a major statement by joining the cluster of Premier League sides currently eyeing a move for Norwich City talisman James Maddison.

The Daily Mirror reports that six top flight sides – including Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton – are keen on the 21-year-old, who has scored 14 goals and contributed eight assists in the Championship for the Canaries.

Maddison is not going to come cheap, with the Mirror reporting that he is being rated at around £30 million, but Newcastle should consider making a move for the 21-year-old.

Given his age, Maddison should still get significantly better – and that is a frightening prospect when you consider that this season is his first full campaign in England’s second tier.

Of course, Jacob Murphy’s struggles since making the same move last summer may leave Benitez hesitating as he considers whether to join the race, but Maddison has already scored five more goals and provided two more assists than Murphy did in the campaign that earned him the switch to Newcastle.

Maddison appears to be the real deal, so Benitez should certainly think about making it seven teams in the race to sign him – even if they perhaps consider throwing Murphy into the deal to try and make the asking price more appealing. Getting him to join the Magpies would be a huge statement of intent given the sides currently chasing his signature.