£60 million-rated Leicester City talisman James Maddison remains ‘at the top’ of Premier League rival Newcastle United’s transfer wishlist heading into the January transfer window, according to the Northern Echo.
And, with that, we are two World Cup group-stage games down. And Maddison is still awaiting his first kick of the tournament.
After all the fuss that greeted his long overdue call-up, a niggling injury continues to keep him out of Gareth Southgate’s plans in Qatar. And how England could have done with him on Friday; Maddison’s diamond-edged creativity badly missed during a 0-0 draw with the USA in which the Three Lions more closely resembled a yawning clan of slumbering housecats.
Maddison, in 13 Premier League games, has seven goals and four assists this season. There was arguably not a single attacking midfielder in better form during the first third of the campaign; Maddison’s sumptuous displays earning him top spot on Newcastle’s post-Christmas shopping list.
Newcastle United hope to lure James Maddison away from Leicester City
According to the Echo, Newcastle will continue to look at established, proven, elite-level talent while also targeting exciting up-and-comers like Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos.
Maddison is perhaps one of a select group of genuinely high-class Premier League stars who could be viewed as affordable and attainable for the newly-minted Magpies, even if the former Norwich City youngster is not quite as keen to leave as team-mate Youri Tielemans (FT).
Newcastle made two bids in the summer, per Sky Sports. The second of which weighed in at £50 million. It is likely that Leicester would want at least £60 million in the New Year, though Maddison’s contract situation could complicate matters. By next summer, he will have just 12 months remaining on his deal at the King Power Stadium.
A step up or a sidewards move?
“He’s a player of outstanding technical ability,” Southgate once said of Maddison. “He has an eye for an incisive pass, and his set-play delivery is world class. Absolutely top.”
Well you’d look at the table at the moment and say it is,” former England international Danny Murphy says when asked whether Newcastle would represent a step up from Leicester for Maddison.
“I think you’d be starting to think that way, with the way Newcastle are going and the funds they’ve got. Ultimately, the contract offer would do the talking; that tells you how ambitious they are, if they are going to double his wage.
“He’s a terrific player. He gives (Newcastle) something they haven’t got. He’s one of the most creative players in the Premier League,” Murphy adds.
“He makes things happen, he’s courageous on the ball. He’s got a great eye for a pass. I like Maddison because he plays free. He never hides away, he’s happy making mistakes to try and make things happen.
“He’d be a really good signing.”
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