Newcastle United’s interest in James Maddison over the past year has been as prominent a transfer saga as there has been of late.
The Magpies failed with a £50m bid for the Leicester City midfielder last summer and are believed to have forged another attempt during the winter transfer window, and with the Foxes now relegated from the Premier League the door is open to complete a move.
However, Leicester are proving to be obstinate in their stance as they maintain that a fee in excess of £50m is required to prise him away from the King Power Stadium.
This is even though the playmaking England international has just one year left on his current deal, and something will have to give if the Magpies are to complete their midfield with one of English football’s most all-encompassing midfielders.
Would James Maddison star in the Toon team?
Despite suffering the ignominy of relegation from the Premier League this term, Maddison departs from the murky abyss that has been Leicester’s season with his head held high.
An ever-reliable goal-scorer and a creative conduit, Maddison posted ten goals and nine assists from just 28 starts – and there is a sense that had fitness prevailed and he played the lion’s share of matches, the three-point gap that relegated City might have been avoided.
