Tottenham given perfect chance to create devastating new forward partnership as final rivals drop out of £60m race
Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a major transfer lift as a report has revealed they will no longer face competition from Newcastle United to sign Leicester City star James Maddison.
Tottenham and Newcastle have been regularly linked with Maddison in the last 12 months. Newcastle made two bids for the attacking midfielder last summer, coming in at £40million and £50m respectively. However, both offers were rejected as Leicester set his valuation at £60m.
Maddison is pretty much guaranteed to leave Leicester this time around though as the Foxes have been relegated to the Championship and the player is way too good to be operating at that level.
Spurs finally acted on their interest in Maddison on June 15 by submitting a cheeky £50m double proposal for both him and winger Harvey Barnes. Given Leicester’s demands, it came as no surprise when this was turned down.
Two days later, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs revealed how Newcastle had set a limit on how much they want to pay for Maddison. Club chiefs at St James’ Park decided they would not bid too much higher than £40m due to Leicester’s relegation and the fact Maddison’s contract expires in June 2024.
Leicester, meanwhile, are still asking for a large amount, even though they are now in the second tier. Jacobs added that Leicester hope to get around £55m for their star man.
Maddison, meanwhile, is thought to be open to either move as it would represent a step up in his career.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports has now provided an update on the situation. He has given Spurs a big boost by revealing that Newcastle are set to drop out of the hunt for Maddison.
Tottenham will no longer face competition for top target
While the Magpies ‘remain interested’, they are currently prioritising the capture of a more defensive-minded midfielder in Sandro Tonali. Indeed, Newcastle have reached a full agreement with Tonali’s side Milan to sign the Italy star. The transfer will cost Newcastle around £62m, as per Fabrizio Romano.
While Newcastle are owned by the super wealthy Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and could therefore spend huge money if they wanted to, Dorsett states they could fall foul of Financial Fair Play rules if they sign both Tonali and Maddison.
Due to this, the only way they would be able to snare the latter is if Leicester significantly drop their asking price later in the summer window, or if Howe manages to sell a couple of his players.
Both of those things would take time, meaning Spurs now have a brilliant opportunity to sign Maddison first.
It must be noted that Arsenal have been tentatively linked with Maddison in recent weeks. However, they could soon spend £100m on Declan Rice and may also need another midfield signing to replace Thomas Partey. Maddison is a far different type of midfielder to Partey so it is unlikely they would go for him as the Ghanaian’s successor.
Spurs capturing Maddison could hand new boss Ange Postecoglou an excellent forward partnership. Recently, it was revealed that Maddison would like to play alongside England team-mate Harry Kane at club level
Given Maddison’s creativity and Kane’s exceptional finishing, they could form a deadly partnership next season. Maddison would also work well alongside Son Heung-min, who appears set to stay in North London after brushing off interest from the Saudi Pro League.
