Tottenham Hotspur have received a big transfer boost as it was confirmed that they will no longer be competing with Newcastle United to sign Leicester City player James Maddison.
In the recent year, Tottenham and Newcastle have both been connected with Maddison. Newcastle made two bids for the aggressive midfielder last summer, each worth £40 million and £50 million. Both proposals, however, were rejected because Leicester placed his price at £60 million.
Maddison is almost certain to leave Leicester this time around, given the Foxes have been demoted to the Championship and the player is far too talented to play at that level.
Spurs ultimately responded to their interest in Maddison on June 15 by launching a sneaky £50 million double bid for both him and winger Harvey Barnes. Given Leicester’s demands, it was unsurprising that this was rejected.
Two days later, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs stated that Newcastle had set a price restriction for Maddison. Due to Leicester’s relegation and Maddison’s contract expiring in June 2024, St James’ Park officials chose not to bid much more than £40 million.
Leicester, meanwhile, is still demanding a huge sum, despite the fact that they are presently in the second division. Leicester want to receive roughly £55 million for their best player, according to Jacobs.
Meanwhile, Maddison is understood to be open to either transfer because it would be a step up in his career.
Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett has provided an update on the issue. He has given Spurs a huge boost by stating that Newcastle are no longer interested in Maddison.
While the Magpies’remain intrigued,’ they are now prioritizing the signing of Sandro Tonali, a more defensive-minded midfielder. Newcastle have reached an agreement with Tonali’s Milan to sign the Italy international. According to Fabrizio Romano, the trade will cost Newcastle about £60 million.
While Newcastle are controlled by the super-rich Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and could thus spend a lot of money if they wanted to, Dorsett claims that signing both Tonali and Maddison would violate Financial Fair Play guidelines.
As a result, the only way they can get the latter is if Leicester dramatically reduces their asking price later in the summer window, or if Howe sells a handful of his players.
Both of those things would take time, so Tottenham now have a fantastic opportunity to sign Maddison first.
It should be remembered that Arsenal has been linked with Maddison in recent weeks. However, they could shortly spend £100 million on Declan Rice and may need to recruit another midfielder to replace Thomas Partey. Maddison is a very different style of midfielder than Partey, thus he is unlikely to be chosen as the Ghanaian’s replacement.
Spurs acquiring Maddison might provide new manager Ange Postecoglou with an excellent forward tandem. It was recently announced that Maddison would desire to play club football alongside England teammate Harry Kane.
Given Maddison’s inventiveness and Kane’s terrific finishing, they might create a lethal combination next season. Maddison would also complement Son Heung-min, who appears certain to remain in North London after rejecting offers from the Saudi Pro League.
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