Newcastle United‘s offer of £40 million for England ace James Maddison has been rejected by Leicester City, with the clubs some way apart in their valuation.
James Maddison Bid Rejected by Leicester
Magpies’ Bid Turned Down
James Maddison has been heavily linked with a move to the North-East, with Newcastle reportedly viewing the creative midfielder as a ‘top priority’ as they seek to further bolster their squad.
However, according to Craig Hope and Tom Collomosse of Mail Sport, Newcastle’s club-record £40 million+ offer has been rejected, with Leicester holding firm on their £60 million asking price. This comes just days after an opening bid of £35 million was also rejected by the East Midlands club, who will not want to lose last season’s Player of the Year.
Maddison Open to Move
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Maddison would be open to joining Newcastle and that Tottenham Hotspur also hold an interest in the midfielder, but reiterated that Leicester are not looking to sell their best players.
🔐 James Maddison made 48 key passes in the Premier League last season
🔲 Only Allan Saint-Maximin (50) made more of all Newcastle players pic.twitter.com/XZeJDYHVyp
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 2, 2022
With Kasper Schmeichel on the verge of joining Nice, and the futures of Wesley Fofana and Youri Tielemans currently uncertain and with only a week before their season opener against Brentford, Leicester will not want this situation to drag on and cause further disruption to what is a crucial campaign for them.
Leicester Standing Firm
The Foxes are unlikely to deviate from their past policy of only selling one top asset a year, and will not likely be moved on their valuation of Maddison.
Given the way in which Leicester’s hierarchy dealt with the sale of Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell and Riyad Mahrez in the past, they have developed a reputation for driving a hard bargain and standing firm in the face of pressure, be it from other clubs or their own players.
The ball is now very much in Newcastle’s court, who will have to significantly improve their offer to land their target.
